UConn Library Exhibit Opening: Children Draw War, Not Flowers

The Atrocity of War though a Child’s Eyes Destruction, violence, and displacement – the realities of war. How does it look to our children, our most vulnerable population? Creating art during a time of extreme crisis reveals a non-verbal story, divulging confounding experiences and entangled emotions on paper. Through the eyes of children, their artistic expression sends a powerful message. Children Draw War, Not Flowers, on display at the UConn Library’s Homer Babbidge Library, is the collation of drawings by Ukrainian children created during the ongoing Russo-Ukraine War that began on February 24, 2022. That fall, the Cherkasy Regional Universal Scientific Library, funded by the School of Information at San Jose State University in California, held a drawing competition in 40 public regional libraries, where over 220,000 of displaced people resided. Children aged 6-18 created over 450 drawings documenting their experiences of war, trauma, and hope with no filter. The 70 drawings on display include weapons, loss, soldiers, and destroyed buildings and artifacts, as well as symbols of hope and pride. For instance, the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag are abundantly present, angels hover over Ukrainian soldiers, and sunflowers and storks, symbols of national solidarity, hang over images of war. To accompany the exhibit, our Archives & Special Collections will display the Mia Farrow Collection of children’s drawing from Djabal Refugee Camp in Eastern Chad near the border with Sudan where refugees settled to escape war and ethnic cleansing beginning in 2002. These drawings were collected in 2009 by prominent actress Mia Farrow and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador to conflict zones in Central Africa. The Mia Farrow Collection contains advocacy materials, digital photography, video, and maps that document the conflict and plight of refugees and the implications of their displacement. The UConn Library exhibition opening, Children Draw War, Not Flowers, will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 4 – 6pm in the Gallery on the Plaza. It will include a tour of the artwork with Ulia Gosart, Associate Professor, San Jose State University, poetry readings, and a powerful virtual reality gallery with more of the digitized works for viewing. The exhibit will remain until August 1. For more information, please visit UConn Library Exhibits at lib.uconn.edu.

Event Links

Exhibitor: https://go.evvnt.com/2989541-0

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