International understanding through art
Children draw the reality of their lives
 Pictures by children in Sri Lanka. |
Each December, a benefit art exhibition of pictures created by children in need, from orphanages, shelters, and other children's facilities, is held in Hiroshima. This year marked the fifth exhibition and approximately 300 pictures from 15 countries were on display. The exhibition is known as "Art Party."
The artwork reflects the true scenery of the children's lives, with the images ranging from peaceful landscapes to bloody shootings. The junior writers were impressed with the exhibition and felt inspired to communicate with the children who created these pictures through email.
We learned that children who are the same age as us come from a variety of difficult circumstances, such as living on the street or being unable to attend school. Our communication with these children, combined with their pictures and the smiling photos that were displayed with them, helped us understand the children's worlds.
Art Party, pictures created by children in need
 Mrs. Watanabe (third from the left) and Mr. Beck (right) discuss Art Party. In the foreground is the picture of war from Sri Lanka. |
Pictures of war and violence, too
Art Party is a charity exhibition in which visitors can buy a picture for a donation of at least 1,000 yen (about $10 US) and 100% of the proceeds from the event are returned to the participating children's groups. The main organizer of the exhibition is ANT-Hiroshima, an NPO. We spoke with the director of ANT-Hiroshima, Tomoko Watanabe, 54, and the person who conceived the Art Party idea, Adam Beck, 45.
Mr. Beck came to Japan in 1996 and imagined holding a benefit event involving international exchange through children's art. With the support of Mrs. Watanabe and ANT-Hiroshima, they were able to fulfill this idea. Mrs. Watanabe was attracted by the fact that "Children of the same age, living in different environments, would create completely different pictures."
We had the opportunity to see some of the children's artwork during our meeting. A picture from Sri Lanka depicted a war scene with a man being shot. We were surprised that children would create such a violent image, but Mrs. Watanabe told us, "This is the real situation in their country. The children are simply drawing what they see." We felt shocked that children our own age had to witness such a terrible sight.
To gather the artwork for the exhibition, contact with children's groups is made through the internet as well as by personal connections of the Art Party organizers.
To date, 32 children's groups in 25 countries have participated in the Art Party exhibitions. Although each exhibition costs roughly 400,000 yen to produce, for such things as rental of the gallery and promotional materials, these expenses are covered by contributions. About 50 volunteers, including many high school and university students, turn out to support the event every year. (Masashi Muro,15, and Reika Konno, 13)
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Click to view our interview about Art Party. |
The power of art
Our visit to the Art Party exhibition impressed upon us the great power of art. The children's pictures reveal the world as seen directly through their eyes and give us a glimpse into their lives. An exhibition like this provides a powerful opportunity for international understanding.
Pictures that show conflict and disaster help us imagine the hardship of the children who experienced these events. And when we look at pictures of lovely landscapes or portraits of people, we recognize that these are things the children cherish.
Since we are the same age as these children, we can feel a special empathy for the artists and their lives. Our interviews, too, enabled us to learn more about their backgrounds and imagine their lives in greater detail. We hope this sort of international exchange through art can grow and impact more people in the future. (Aya Nakashige, 18)
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Children in Nepal depict hope |
Namaste Children's House in Nepal joined the first Art Party in 2003 and took part again in the latest exhibition. Children at this orphanage range in age from 2 to 17. For various reasons, all had become orphaned or abandoned prior to entering Namaste Children's House. We sent e-mail to two children whose pictures were on display in the exhibition. Madan Nepali, 12, entered the orphanage in August 2003. Before that, he was a street child. After his father died, his mother abandoned him and his three siblings. They were forced to live on the street for several months. At the time, Madan was 8 years old and he did odd jobs at a hotel with his older sister to get food. But, he told us, "The manager of the hotel bullied us and didn't give us much food." In fact, they didn't have enough food to feed the four of them. Finally, the police took them to the orphanage, where they now can enjoy their lives, playing with friends and going to school.
Madan drew a picture which shows a monk walking toward a tower on a beautiful plateau. He drew this image to share this typical Nepalese scene with visitors to the exhibition. Another boy, Budesh Neplai, 13, came to Namaste Children's House in April 2003. He had been living on the street because his father abandoned the family and his mother could not take care of him. In his picture, he wished to share the beauty of nature in Nepal so he drew a scene of people from a village in the mountains working in their fields. Communicating with these two boys, we felt sad for the many children struggling to survive in the world. At the same time, though, the way they live with hope, despite their painful experiences, was very inspiring to us. (Aya Tsuchie, 15) |
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Children in Mongolia hope to meet children in Japan |
In Mongolia, Tsengel Bathasan, 13, attends an educational facility for children called Achlal Center. He drew a picture of the traditional nomadic lifestyle and livestock in that country. To arrange this interview, we asked for the assistance of one of the supporters of Art Party, Hiroshima Joushin Temple Volunteers. At Achlal Center, children can learn art and knitting. Currently, 84 children visit the facility and one-fourth of these children are disabled or homeless. Many children who attend Achlal Center are forced to work to survive. They haul charcoal and firewood or pull carts in a coal mine. During warm weather, they work about 9 hours a day, so some of the children are absent from the center for long periods of time. Even when it's cold, they work 5-7 hours a day and this exposure can make them sick. Some children have had accidents at work, too, and have even been killed. Achlal Center teaches these children useful skills for their work and for their lives.
Achlal Center has participated in Art Party since the exhibition in 2005. With the money they raise from the sales of their artwork, they give 70% to the children and the remainder is spent on art materials. Tsengel used to live in the countryside with his mother, but when she became sick, they moved to Ulaanbaatar in 2002. However, he didn't have a certificate of residence at the time, so he wasn't permitted to enroll in school. So he came to Achlal Center in 2003 to continue his education. Finally, he established residency and he began attending junior high school. He told us, "I heard there's a beautiful park in Hiroshima called Peace Memorial Park. I'd like to visit and draw pictures with Japanese children one day." (Shotaro Takada, 13) |
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Children in the Philippines take pride in nature |
The Children's Shelter of Cebu, in the Philippines, cares for 70 children, newborns to children 15 years old. In addition, there are 10 older teens and young adults assisted by the shelter. Most of these children were born into poor families and their parents were unable to provide for them. Some children, upon entering the shelter, need immediate medical attention or require other support for delays in their education or development.
James Francis Ilagison, 12, painted a bird from the Philippines, the Crested Serpent Eagle, while Junalyn Anasco, 13, depicted the countryside. Both of them are proud of the abundant nature of the Philippines and told us, "We hope Japanese children can come to our country and see it with their own eyes." (Ryu Kanchika, 18) |
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Children in Cambodia encourage interest in their country |
Children who have lost their parents due to AIDS or other misfortunes live at Future Light Orphanage in Cambodia. 256 children, ranging in age from 4 to 17, live at the orphanage and another 116 children living in the community come to the facility to eat meals and study.
Sem Makara, 13, entered Future Light Orphanage in 2002. She lost her father when she was very young and lived alone with her mother. However, they were very poor so Sem didn't have enough food to eat or the opportunity to attend school. Because of these circumstances, she came to live at the orphanage. Her picture depicts the beautiful landscape of Cambodia. She hopes the image will make people happy. "I want them to take an interest in Cambodia," she said. (Aya Nakashige,18) | |||||
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