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Wednesday, April 17, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Sharing joy with the world,
orld, one “Bot” at a time
By Helen Schmidling Correspondent
“Imagine if you could go through your entire day followed
by a giant invisible robot that protects you, defends you,
and gives you outrageous compliments.” – Gary Hirsch
When Gary Hirsch was a
little boy, he suffered from
horrible, monster-infested
nightmares 3 dreams so vivid
they sent him knocking on
his parents9 bedroom door
for comfort. The monsters, he
said, threatened to take him
away.
His father, a gentle man,
took young Gary to the
kitchen, made him some cin-
namon toast, handed Gary
some paper and pencils and
asked him to draw his mon-
sters. Then, together, they
named the monsters. Gary9s
dad then explained that he
could just as easily get rid of
the monsters, simply by turn-
ing the pencil over and erasing
them. <Eventually, I just felt
better,= he said. The night-
mares abated, Gary grew up,
and he continued drawing his
unique characters.
These days, Gary Hirsch
disseminates joy to a world
beset with negativity and bul-
lying, one tiny character, or
<Bot= at a time. What9s a Bot?
Stay tuned.
Sponsored by Sisters Folk
Festival and Sisters School
District, Hirsch visited our
schools last week to work
with art teachers and kids in
elementary, middle and high
school. In a matter of a few
minutes, he took classes from
quiet, slightly bored, and
morose to calm, communica-
tive, and creative.
A Bot is a tiny figure,
painted like a robot, on the
reverse side of a domino.
Hirsch calls them Joybots.
The tile is smooth, tactile,
feels good. Joybots deliver
a message that you are not
alone, you have strength, and
you are loved. In the past 10
years, Hirsch has created more
than 50,000 Bots and at least
that many have been made and
shared by others.
Last week, hundreds of
kids and adults in Sisters
made bunches of Bots under
Hirsch9s gentle and often
humorous guidance. The tiny
Bots are meant to be shared
or to be kept at hand as a
reminder of love, inspiration,
and curiosity.
Hirsch began the Bot
parade Thursday morning
with third- and fourth-graders
at Sisters Elementary School.
That afternoon, at Sisters
Middle School, Hirsch vis-
ited the seventh- and eighth-
grade art class members. He
asked why they were in art
class. <Because they like art
& because there was no the-
ater & because the last school
they were in didn9t offer art
& and because they like the
teacher= were just some of
their answers.
They made more Bots, as
did the fifth- and sixth-grad-
ers who followed. Each kid
made at least two Bots: <one
to share and one to keep for
moments when you need your
own,= Hirsch said. Some Bot-
makers were not sure who
they9d share the Bot with, but
others said <my best friend &
my Mom & my neighbor who
fell out of a tree.=
Friday, at Sisters High
School, Hirsch led his sin-
gle largest group ever at one
time making Bots. Four hun-
dred high school students got
busy with dominos and felt
pens and made Joybots in the
auditorium. Imagine that! On
Saturday, Hirsch presented his
TEDx talk to the public in the
Sisters Middle School com-
mons, and a huge Bot-painting
session followed.
The Bot creators were
encouraged to label the side
of each Bot with their name
and #botjoy, and share it with
someone intentionally, or
leave it around for others to
discover. If and when a Bot is
found, take your photograph
with it, and use #botjoy to post
to your favorite social media
platform. Then share it with
someone or hide it for another
to discover.
The event was accom-
plished with the help and
enthusiasm of art teachers
Judy Fuentes, Karen Williams,
and Bethany Gunnarson, and
many volunteers and staff
from Sisters Folk Festival. The
artist9s residency is the culmi-
nation of a five-year Studio to
Schools grant, administered
by SFF.
It9s also tied into the
upcoming annual My Own
Two Hands event, which
has as its theme, <We All
Belong,= said Brad Tisdel,
artistic director of the festival.
Furthermore, Bots tie into the
school district9s promotion of
social/emotional health and
wellbeing in the school and in
the Sisters community. Hirsch
and several student and fac-
ulty helpers painted a huge
mural at the Middle School,
featuring giant Bots and a
thought-provoking question,
<Who helps you belong?=
Art has been a prompt
that9s helped Hirsch to fulfill
his life mission to help oth-
ers 3 both kids and adults. <I
wake up every day thinking
about how art can help, and
the Bots have been my vehicle
for doing this in delightful and
surprising ways,= he says.
Hirsch has taken his affir-
mative message around the
world and around the country.
His TEDx talk is posted on his
website (www.botjoy.com).
So popular has the concept
become that he even has a link
on the site called <Steal this
Idea.= That9s how he enables
others to share.
<I like to have a conver-
sation with my audience,=
Hirsch said. On Saturday,
he asked the audience <How
do you help people in your
life?= One kid answered, <I
let my cat in and out when she
needs to,= and an adult said,
PHOTO BY HELEN SCHMIDLING
Gary Hirsch guided Sisters students in making Joybots last week.
Bottle & Can Drive!
Furry Friends Foundation can use
your redeemable bottles and cans!
Help us raise funds by picking some of our blue bags to oll and
return to Ray9s Food Place. It9s easy to do, you just scan the tag on
the bag, open the door in the bottle drop and leave the bag. The
empty blue bags can be picked up at 204 W. Adams, Ste. 109.
You can still drop off bottles & cans (closed plastic bags please)
in the blue bins at 442 E. Main Ave.
FURRY FRIEND S
Smile,
Sisters!
We’re committed
to y your dental health!
Exceptional Health, Prevention &
Aesthetics For Your Family!
Sisters Dental
<I mentor a kid.= Many pon-
dered the question in silence.
A while back, he made a thou-
sand Bots for a children9s
hospital in Portland, to help
young ones be strong when
they9re feeling pain.
Making Bots and murals
is only part of Hirsch9s pre-
sentation service. When not
working with schools, hospi-
tals, and nonprofits, he uses
improvisational theater (better
known as improv) as a teach-
ing tool for businesses includ-
ing Nike, Intel, Disney, Apple,
and many more, through his
Portland-based consultancy
called On Your Feet.
For more information,
check out www.botjoy.com.
501 ( c )( 3 )
541-797-4023
FOUNDATION
Open Tues. & Thurs., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
204 W. Adams, Ste. 109, Sisters Art Works Bldg.
Next to the Sisters Habitat Restore parking lot.
Trevor Frideres d.m.d.
www.FurryFriendsFoundation.org
p 541-549-9486 f 541-549-9110
Sisters Pet Food Bank " Spay/Neuter Sponsorships " Emergency Medical Assistance
410 E. Cascade Ave. • P.O. Box 1027 • Sisters
AD SPONSORED BY THE NUGGET NEWSPAPER.