ROOM 13 - “A PLACE WHERE IMAGINATION
RUNS FREE” by Tasha Tollman
Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than
knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and
understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and
all there ever will be to know and understand. Imagination is
everything.”
Modern research has found that art education (painting, drawing,
sculpting, singing, storytelling, poetry, drama, etc.) strengthens
problem-solving and critical thinking skills, since the experience
of making decisions and choices in the course of creating carries
over into other parts of life. When children are encouraged to
express themselves and take risks in creating art, they develop
a sense of innovation that will be important in their adult lives.
These studies further indicated that there is a direct correlation
between art and other areas of achievement demonstrating that
young people who participated regularly in the arts are four
times more like to be recognized for academic achievement than
children who do not participate. In short the arts develop:
• Fine motor skills.
• Language skills.
• Visual learning.
• Social and emotional skills.
• Problem solving skills.
• Decision making skills.
• Inventiveness.
• Improved academic performance.
But we live in a world where knowledge is equated with power
and art education has come to be viewed as a luxury and
consequently dropped from the school curriculum in most
disadvantaged school communities.
Reg Lascaris and John Hunt saw the need and opened Room 13,
according to the website “Room 13 is a place where imagination
can run free. It is a place for children to go after school and
express their creativity through painting, drawing, drama, poetry
and storytelling, any form of artistic expression they desire.”
The students run the school as a business, forming their own
management team and choosing the artist-in-residence and so
learn about the arts, how to run a business and life skills. This
TWBA, CSR programme is currently running in xx disadvantaged
primary and high schools, nationally catering to xxx children.
On the 13th November, Reg Lascaris and John Hunt organized
a charity event aimed at raising funds for Room 13. Rockin’ for
Room 13, was held at the Barnyard Theater and high profile
business leaders, CEOs and company directors performed live
on stage to a sell out crowd of 500 people, for one night only to
raise money to help and sustain this project. The lineup included:
• Dave Munro (Chief Executive for Corporate & Investment
Banking, Standard Bank) on drums performing We Will Rock
You and Because We can.
• Gareth Cliff (Radio DJ, 5FM) allowed us to be the “Idol judges”
and sang Come Together and You Shook Me All Night Long.
• Reg Lascaris (Founder of Hunt Lascaris and President for
TBWA/Africa/Middle East) brought energy, drive and passion
to his rendition of Mustang Sally, Runaway, Wild Thing and In
the Midnight Hour.
• Rowan Smith (Director, Shanduka) an accomplished piano
player, got audience on their feet with Billy Joel’s Piano Man.
• Ben Kruger (CEO of Standard Bank) sang Have you ever seen
the rain and sang and played the guitar to Paint It Black.
• Lee-Anne Shepherd (Marketing Director, Diners Club) and
Hester Hahn (Marketing Projects and Event Manager, Diners
Club) treated us to a sultry, sizzling hot dance and song routine
of Fever and One way or Another.
• Peter Schoeman (Divisional Director, Sales and Marketing
City Lodge Hotels) and Alastair Dooley (? City Lodge Hotels)
brought the house down and got the crowd rocking in the
aisles as they performed Summertime and sang the blues with
Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.
• Peter Matlare (CEO, Tiger Brands) on piano sang Feelings and
How was I to Know.
• Clem Sunter (Scenario Planner and Ex-chairman of Anglo
American Chairman’s Fund) entertained us with a quick trip
down memory lane as he shared amusing and interesting
snippets from his own life and demonstrating that he is not only
talented in business but a talented musician who once shared
the stage with the Rolling Stones. Playing the acoustic guitar
he performed My Darling Clemantine, Blue Suede Shoes,
Peggy Sue, Your Sixteen, Your Beautiful and Yo