Art exhibit presents "Chornobyl through the eyes of children" (05/19/96)

Art exhibit presents "Chornobyl through the eyes of children"

by Oksana Zakydalsky

TORONTO - "Chornobyl through the eyes of children" was the title of an exhibit of children's art brought to Toronto by Driada, an international foundation for children's art in Bila Tserkva, a town 70 kilometers south of Kyiv. The foundation's programs are aimed particularly at disadvantaged children - those whose families have suffered as a result of Chornobyl, whose fathers died in the war in Afghanistan and children who have been orphaned or are diabetic.

Founded in 1991 as a children's art studio on the initiative of Master of Folk Arts Liudmila Tereschenko, Driada (the name of a nymph who lives in flowers and trees) was officially registered in 1995 as a charitable foundation devoted to the spiritual development of children through art. Close to 400 children in Bila Tserkva take part in the foundation's programs, which include painting, theater, spoken arts, dance, Ukrainian studies, folk arts, dance gymnastics, ecology and television arts.

Driada has taken part in children's art exhibits in Germany, Italy and Spain. The children's artwork was exhibited in Beijing during the International Women's Forum last fall, featured by the Ukrainian Embassy at the United Nations 50th anniversary celebrations in New York and presented to Hillary Clinton, who sent a personal letter of thanks to Ms. Tereshchenko.

On April 20, 12 children (age 10-14) and three adults from Driada, including Ms. Tereshchenko, arrived in Toronto for a four-week stay at the invitation of the Oleh Olzhych Foundation. Unfortunately, the persons responsible for the invitation had prepared no program for the visitors, and engagements at Ukrainian schools, churches and senior citizens' homes had to be hurriedly organized. As their date of arrival coincided with the Chornobyl commemorations in Toronto, the children were asked to take part in some of the events and were featured on Ukrainian television programs.

One of their visits was to the Ciopa Palijiw Ukrainian School on May 4, where the children gave a concert of their own verses and songs, and showed their exhibit "Chornobyl Through the Eyes of Children." The teachers and older children of Driada taught the Canadian students "Petrykivskyj Rozpys" - Ukrainian ornamentation from the village of Petrykivka (near Dnipropetrovske), which is traditionally finger-painted.

| Home Page |