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MORE THAN MEET THE EYES

The Young Reporter (2011, October), 44(01), pp. 22, 23.
Author: Sophia Fu. Editor: Goosie Chan.
Permanent URL - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0007745

“An art museum could be more than just a storeroom for works of art.”

Nothing is better than spending an afternoon at the Ohio University's Kennedy Museum of Art. Its collections showcase artists' persistence in their pursuit for perfection and exploration beyond the limits of their imagination. It is also a good example of how art education meets charity and local blends with global.

Sitting on a hill overlooking Athens, a city in the mid-western state of Ohio in the United States, the museum is housed inside a historic four-storey building called Lin Hall. Greeting the visitors are elegant pillars, winding stairs and white ceilings. Indeed, white is the theme colour of its interior decoration.

While the immaculate appearance produces a classical ambience, the current exhibits are decidely non-classical – bunches of children's drawings. The museum has collaborated with the Patton College of Education and Human Services to hold an auction exhibition of 50 works by students from kindergarten to grade 12 in the Crooksville Exempted Village Schools.

A kindergartener's watercolour portrait of a cat’s head shocks visitors with its sophisticated use of colour, with an even blend of blue, red and yellow weaving a pattern of perfect harmony. The child painter’s innocence is reflected in the portrait, while the gloomy eyes of the cat hides his curiosity about the mystery of the future.

Other works include one that depicts a tornado as a morning glory, a woman’s portrait that has three versions painted in distinct colours, and pieces of abstractionism rendered in the forms of handcraft, stipple, crayon and blow drawing and watercolour and oil painting.

The latent message of the exhibition is obvious – we can help our children paint their own future. Give them the opportunity to put their dreams into reality through their own hands, and their masterpieces show they are fully capable of expressing their colourful and creative imaginations.

In addition to showcasing quality works of art, the museum also serves as a platform to promote art education. Every cent earned in the auction exhibition will go to Crooksville for help cover the costs of art programmes.

Another current exhibition is called “A Local To Global Perspective On Critical Issues Affecting Our Planets And Its People” . It is a collection of photographs taken by Ohio University students and professors about critical issues in so-called conflict zones in different parts of the world.

The issues range from the territorial conflicts between Israel and Palestine, Burmese refugees in Thailand, confrontations in the Korean Peninsula to sustainable agriculture in Guatemala. Together, they imbue visitors with a sense of humanity that prompts them to think deeper about the underlying issues and reflect on their own life.

An art museum could be more than just a storeroom for works of art. It could be a repository of values that pushes one to reflect and question the meaning of life. It could do more than meet the eyes.

STORY / SOPHIA FU

EDITED BY / GOOSIE CHAN

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