UBS - Why Art

This holiday season, The UBS Art Gallery will present more than 100 artworks by children from around the world. On view from November 30, 2006 through January 12, 2007, Why Art? An Exhibition and Examination of International Children’s Art will highlight thematic similarities between children’s imaginations and celebrate the cultural and individual differences evident in pieces created by elementary school students from Nepal, Vietnam, Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ireland, Australia and the United States. Organized by Jardin Galerie, an international organization supporting the role of art in education, the watercolors, tempera paintings, collages and sculptures on view date from 2004 through 2006. The young artists, ranging in age from 3 to 14 years old, provide unique visions of the world around them. Each artwork in Why Art? reveals the excitement and individuality of its young artist.

Why Art? is divided into four broad themes that are perennial and universal favorites among children. “Trees and Secret Gardens” includes imaginative narratives about the land, the natural world, and children’s real or imagined place in it. “My Mother, My Family” features depictions closer to home, including expressive portraits and warm scenes of familial life that reveal the faces and customs of other cultures. “Animals” presents assorted illustrations of creatures, particularly focusing on scenes under day and night skies. “Sea Life” features fantastical underwater scenes rendered in vivid color as well as stark images from the depths of the imagination.

Why Art? An Exhibition and Examination of International Children’s Art is made possible by UBS.

In each section, the works are chosen for their creative use of color and material, their innovative technique and their unique views of the subject. The tempera painting of trees by a Russian child named Sasha (age 7) is full of swirling red and yellow leaves rendered with bold patches of color. In the foreground, a young girl with a blue umbrella struggles against the blustery wind as three barren trees loom above. A colorful panorama of forest life by Le Truong Phuong (age 12) from Vietnam includes deer and monkeys by a pool of water in a landscape of trees and mountains reaching up into the clouds. Truong’s detailed composition contrasts against the simplicity of a watercolor of a shark’s head by Kristof (age 7) from Hungary. Floating above a light wash of watery blue, the shark is depicted in profile using a continuous black brush stroke that parts to reveal a long set of sharp teeth. Another underwater scene, by an American child named Sascha (age 4), features an orange crab and a scuba diver swimming off the page with the word “splash” mirrored to the left and right of the diver’s spray of water.

Jardin Galerie

Jardin Galerie is a not-for-profit organization that showcases children’s art from across cultures and promotes art’s role as a vital part of children’s social and academic development. Four times a year, Jardin Galerie presents theme-based children’s art exhibitions from around the world in its New York-based gallery. These shows demonstrate how art contributes to the development of mathematics, writing and social-emotional expression, and is a manifestation of cultural heritage. Each exhibition is simultaneously presented and archived on the Galerie’s Web site (www.jardingalerie.org) so that it is accessible to a broad international audience.

Founded in 2000, Jardin Galerie began as an extension of the French-American preschool Le Jardin a l’Ouest, which is based in New York and opened its doors in 1972. Since then, Jardin Galerie has partnered locally with public and private schools in New York City and globally with students and schools in Cuba, Russia, Hungary, Ireland, Bulgaria, Nepal and Vietnam. These relationships have created an international community of children that are connected by their art and established a unique model for investigating art’s universal importance as a tool for learning.

Hours and Admission
The UBS Art Gallery is located in the UBS Building at 1285 Avenue of the Americas (between 51st and 52nd Streets) in New York City. The Gallery is on the ground floor of the building and exhibition hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.