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THE IRAQI CHILDREN'S ART EXCHANGE
The Iraqi Children's Art Exchange invites Iraqi
and American children and youth to participate
in art-inspired projects. Transcending the
barriers of language, culture and politics,
projects create important learning
opportunities, foster communication, and
promote peace and nonviolence.
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A display of matching art from U.S. The exhibits are about people; they are not about politics. Using photographs, children's art, and a minimal amount of text, the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange Project opens a window onto Iraq and Iraqis and Iraqi refugees, especially children in Amman, Jordan. The exhibits provide visual images that enable people — children as well as adults — to put the country and its people into a meaningful human context. The images tell a story we do not get from reading the morning newspaper or listening to the nightly news. The Iraqi Children's Art Exchange Project exhibits, like all art presentations, are created to engage the viewers; they invite reflection and encourage discussion. The exhibits have been hung at conferences,in schools, churches, libraries and galleries; the material is flexible and can be arranged to suit the needs of the borrower. The photographs and children's art can be a meaningful addition or backdrop to other events such as concerts, films, lectures and panel discussions.
Contents
Where the Exhibits Have Been
Where the Exhibits Have Been
February 16 -March 1, 2008
Art from the Heart Moorhead City, North Carolina A collection of ten pieces of Iraqi children's art from the CARE art workshop in Amman Jordan will be included in the Arts Council of Carteret County's annual art exhibition and fundraier, Art from the Heart. Betty Skulstad, a Children's Advocate from Beaufort, North Carolina worked with Unitarian, Unity and Friends Peace Groups to make this happen. According to the Council's press release, the event - a showcase for the talents of local artists - was the Arts Council's most popular and heavily attended event in 2007. One hundred and fifteen artists participated and nearly three hundred pieces of original artwork were entered. During the two week exhibition, an estimated nineteen hundred visitors passed through the gallery. I Am Iraqi, the acryllic on canvas painting depicting a victorious Iraqi soccer player on the team that defeated heavily favored Saudi Arabian to win the Asia Cup finals in 2007, is one of the pieces included in the exhibit. The young artist is Abeer, a 10 year old Iraqi girl living with her family in Amman.
Pieces of Peace (North Adams, MA) Pieces of Peace, an exhibition of three murals created by Iraqi refugee children in Amman, Jordan, opened Monday, July 16th, 2007 at MassMOCA Kidspace. The large, brightly-colored murals, which will remain on display in the hallway outside the gallery through December 2007, raise questions about the development of child refugees as they adjust to their new environment. This exhibition is made possible through collaboration with the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange, a project started by Claudia Lefko, a preschool teacher and activist, and Kathleen Winkworth of Northampton, Massachusetts.
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Copyright © 2008 Iraqi Children's Art Exchange
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