Each year we write to thank you for all that children have built here with your support and to ask for your continued help. We try to compress into a few words and images the essence of our work. This year we have enclosed the work itself – an experiment that captures our purpose.
The Top.
Tops are ancient. They were mastered well before writing and reading. They are universal. Every culture created tops in distinct forms and materials but always as evidence of common curiosity and dexterity. Tops became instruments of invention, sport, gambling and divination. But why?
Tops define the pleasure of learning. They reward discipline, persistence and mastery. Beyond that, tops reveal our capacity to create transcendent calm. A spinning top captures our attention so deeply that – for a few seconds – external expectations, the mire of news and the cacophony of social media evaporate.
When you support our workshop, you give children tools and materials to create and express themselves, to understand the world around them. That understanding, in turn, helps children build peace of mind. In an age of anxiety, that is a precious gift.
Bill Brown – Sally Hill
