Iraq/U.S.- Children, Art & Building a Culture of Peace
OPENING RECEPTION:
SATURDAY, APRIL 4th at 7pm
About the Exhibit
Iraq & the U.S. – Children, Art & Building a Culture of Peace is an exhibit of artwork exchanged between Iraqi refugee children living in Jordan and students at our own Van Duyn Elementary School. We will have an opening reception to celebrate this milestone of understanding through art on Saturday, April 4, 2009. Joining us will be representatives from our sponsoring organizations; Laura Reeder from Partners for Arts Education and Claudia Lefkow from the Iraqi Childrens’ Art Exchange, as well as third grade students from Van Duyn Elementary School and their art teacher, Ilene Layow. The exhibit will display a joint mural, an Iraqi mural and other artwork from children connected to the project.
Of equal importance is the contribution made by Iraqi children who fled war-torn Iraq and now live in Syracuse. These children graciously acted as “emissaries” and spent time with the 3rd graders to provide face-to-face contact with a completely different culture. They will also attend the opening and contribute artwork to the exhibit.
About Partners for Arts Education
Laura Reeder is the Executive Director of Partners for Arts Education (PAE). The steady activism of PAE connects artists and cultural partners with educators at all levels each and every day, here in CNY and across New York State. PAE advocates for lifelong learning through creativity and innovation. Students who participate in the arts, both in school and after school, demonstrate improved academic performance and lower dropout rates. Despite including the arts as being one of the ten core academic subjects, the No Child Left Behind law helped to push arts classes to the side. PAE works to change that reality and was instrumental in coordinating this art exchange project.
About ICAE and the Art Miles Mural Project
Claudia Lefkow is the Director of The Iraqi Children’s Art Exchange (ICAE) which uses art, art-inspired projects and documenting photographs to create a dialogue — across language, culture and politics– between children and youth in Iraq, in Jordan and in the U.S. They recognize art as an important language of childhood, one that offers children and youth an opportunity to express themselves, to speak to each other and to the wider community, and to have their views taken seriously.
Work from the Syracuse/ArtRage project will join over 5,000 other murals in a display of art titled the Art Miles Murals Project; an international project that emerged in support of the UNESCO Decade of Peace and Non-violence Among Children of the World: 2000-2010. The project will display 12 miles of murals created primarily by youth from 125 different countries and involving nearly a half a million people. The ultimate destination of the murals is Egypt, where in September, 2010 The Art Mile Murals Project will mark the end of the Decade of Peace and Non-violence Among Children with a giant, gala exhibition. Thousands of murals created by children and youth from around the world will celebrate and give testimony to their work and vision for a better, more peaceful future. ArtRage is proud to be a part of this effort.
