Newest Exhibition Features Arkansas Scenes as Seen Through the Eyes of Young Patients
August 24, 2007 – 9:34 am
Public invited to participate in “group paint” event on Friday, Sept. 7
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Aug. 24, 2007 — From the creative minds of children has come a colorful collection of artwork featuring Arkansas countryside and cityscapes. “Views from a Traveling Train: Paintings from the Arkansas Children’s Hospital” will open Saturday, Sept. 1, at Crystal Bridges at the Massey, 125 W. Central, just off the square in downtown Bentonville.
The exhibit, which will only be on display through Sept. 16, features 4-by-4 foot panels depicting scenes from around the state seen through the eyes of young artists as if viewed through a train window. The paintings were created at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital during the past year by more than 100 patients and their siblings. These artworks are being presented for the first time at Crystal Bridges at the Massey prior to their installation at the hospital in Little Rock.
In conjunction with the exhibit and Bentonville’s First Friday event, the public is invited to make their own mark on mural panels. A “group paint” is scheduled for Friday, Sept, 7, from 6-8 p.m. at Crystal Bridges at the Massey. Supplies will be available and staff members will be on hand to guide and assist participants. The panels will be installed at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s Fenceworks Gallery, a community mural project posted on a fence along the museum’s construction service yard on NE J Street near John DeShields Blvd. in Bentonville.
Unique project, powerful impact
“A paintbrush and palette can be powerful tools of healing as well as creative expression,” said Bob Workman, Crystal Bridges executive director. “This exhibit demonstrates the importance of providing opportunities for participation in the arts in unique circumstances and non-traditional settings.”
The project is the result of a collaboration by the hospital and the Arkansas Arts Center with funding from the Arkansas Arts Council. Hamid Ebrahimifar and Ann Owens, art educators with the center, visited the hospital each week and provided painting, drawing and sculpting lessons to patients.
According to Ebrahimifar, collective projects like a “Views from a Traveling Train” allow art to become accessible to several audiences at once – patients, their families and their friends, as well as visitors who observe the work. Parents sometimes assisted the children with the paintings, helping them choose colors or detail strokes while the two art professionals guided the overall process. “We provided skill development and they learned techniques, and now all these elements have come together in this exhibition.”
Gloriane Kabat, director of child life and education at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, believes the project has helped patients unearth hidden abilities, instilling confidence and fostering a therapeutic outlet. “We had children who said they couldn’t paint or draw. Yet creating art for this project has showed them they can, and now they proudly tell their parents ‘Look what I have done.’”
The exhibit is the second in a series of exhibits to be featured at Crystal Bridges at the Massey.
Crystal Bridges at the Massey
Located on the first floor of the historic Massey Building just off the square in downtown Bentonville, Crystal Bridges at the Massey is the temporary exhibit space for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The facility offers the public an opportunity to view traveling exhibits, get updates on the latest construction news from the Crystal Bridges Museum site, view architectural models and renderings of the museum complex and participate in programming such as classes, guided tours and lectures designed by members of the Crystal Bridges staff. Hours of operation are:
- Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about Crystal Bridges at the Massey, go to www.crystalbridges.org or call 479-418-5700.
