While everyone is alone at times, our day-to-day lives are usually carried out by our interacting with others in a shared activity. The physical and mental nature of these engagements and the effects we have on one another, reveal important aspects of our culture.

For this year’s program, we asked all participating young artists to select one such shared activity as the subject of their art pieces. This activity could take place anywhere and at anytime, as long as more than one individual was interacting with at least one other person – be it family members, friends, strangers, or even adversaries.

They were asked to consider a scene depicting interactions that take place, for example:

• In any room of one’s home (between family members)
• At school (between classmates and teachers)
• In one’s community, village, or city
• During a holiday or religious celebration
• While taking part in sports or other leisure activities
• While watching or performing music, dance, or drama
  
  

The piece’s medium, be it paint, pastel, pencil, collage, photography, etc., was up to each artist and teacher to choose.

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 accompanies these pieces.