Description

This is the first book authored by Lily Yeh, internationally beloved artist and social pioneer. Through vibrant color photography and Lily’s words, we watch the metamorphosis of a school environment for migrant workers’ children who, but for this charity, would receive no education.

An angel of beauty and hope, Lily engages middle-school students, their teachers, and local elders in converting a barren factory space in Beijing, China, into the Dandelion School’s colorful, mosaic-covered youthscape. Lives and curriculum become suffused with the creative spirit. The book is a testament to crafting joy, as Lily guides a participatory process of artistic expression that uplifts a distressed community and offers an inspiring model for educators around the world.

When I see brokenness, poverty, and crime in inner cities, I also see the enormous potential and readiness for transformation and rebirth. We are creating an art form that comes from the heart and reflects the pain and sorrow of people’s lives. It also expresses joy, beauty, and love.
—Lily Yeh