URI Providence Campus commissions and exhibits
Children Around the World Picturing Peace
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — December 26, 2002 — A commissioned exhibition of artwork, Children Around the World Picturing Peace, will open at the University of Rhode Island’s Providence Campus Gallery January 18 and will run through February 28. The gallery, located on the first- and second-floor lobbies of the campus, located at 80 Washington St., is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The exhibit as part of a multi-spaced event with work also exhibited at the Mathewson Street United Methodist Church Chapel Gallery and the International Gallery of Heritage and Culture.
The exhibit will include music, videography, photography, drama, and poetry in addition to the original artwork by children and youth from Haiti, Ecuador, Thailand, India, Kenya, Senegal, Johannesburg, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Palestine, Birmingham Ala., and from local children of many cultures.
The artwork was commissioned from mission operations and community-based programs through the support of Childreach/Plan, the Mathewson Street United Methodist Church, the International Gallery of Heritage and Culture, and the World Scholar Athlete Games at URI.
The work was commissioned to have children of the world share their wisdom and envision world peace, to show the potential for living in harmony on all levels: in the family, in the local community, in the world community and with the environment. The work has been arriving with powerful definitions and profound statements by the children and youth that underscore the visual images they have captured.
Childreach/Plan is an international child-centered development organization, linking caring people and institutions in the U.S. with needy children overseas. It began in 1937 in London (with the U.S. headquarters currently in Warwick, R.I.) and is a member of a global organization in 60 countries.
The artwork is exhibited in conjunction with Seeds of Hope Sowing Seeds of Peace, a youth performance group established by the URI Providence Campus and The Providence Black Repertory Theater. Seeds of Hope Sowing Seeds of Peace will premiere on First Night at 6 p.m. at The Providence Black Repertory Theatre, 276 Westminster St. and tour the community throughout January and February.
For more information contact Steven Pennell, artist-in-residence at URI Providence, 277-5206