Life is a unique journey for all of us. The people we meet, the places we go, and what we do in our lives is an ongoing life-long adventure. While we might not be sure what experiences lay ahead, we can be sure of where we’ve come from. Traditions that are passed on to us from our family and our society give us a grounding from which to set out on our life’s journey. Traditions help make us who we are and give us a dynamic springboard from which to discover what we are to become.

For “Traditions…Where I Come From”, we asked our participating artists to:

• Think of the variety of traditions that are practiced in your culture in such areas as holidays, clothing, foods, sports, entertainment, school and home activities, etc. These could be ethnic, religious, national, or even individual family traditions. They could be practiced just once in a life-time, each day, or on a regular basis anywhere in between.
• Select one of these traditions that is particularly meaningful to you.
• Complete a piece of art that illustrates this tradition, placing yourself somewhere in the piece. You can appear as an active participant in, or as a spectator of, the traditional activity or scene you depict.

This exhibit includes pieces created by children attending mainstream to special education classrooms working with VSA arts affiliate schools and centers around the world. Look for the VSA arts logo that accompany these pieces.