Exhibit offers child's-eye view of Russia
By Allison Schaefers
Advertiser Staff Writer
For two years, Natasha Owen traveled back and forth from Russia to O'ahu, with works by Russia's child artists tucked into the nooks and crannies of her suitcase.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
There were images of black winter nights lit by starry skies, brightly colored Russian cityscapes, exotic Siberian tigers and underwater odysseys as seen through the eyes of Russian children, who are not so different from those in Hawai'i, said Owen, the honorary consul general of the Russian Federation in Hawai'i.
Anastasiya Brice, 5, of Waikiki, performed a Russian dance at the Honolulu Academy of Arts' exhibit, "Russia Through the Eyes of Children." Lara Bowles, left, and Nataliya Andriyevska also performed.
That art now is framed and hanging in a place of honor at the Honolulu Academy of Arts on South Beretania Street, where it forms an exhibit titled "Russia Through the Eyes of Children."
The exhibit opened yesterday in conjunction with a Russian Family Day Festival to showcase that nation's music, dance, storytelling and food, in addition to its art.
Academy volunteers helped children viewing the exhibit make festive Russian headdresses and medals. An opportunity also was offered to write letters to the Russian artists.
The exhibit includes photos by the children of themselves and their schools, activities and environment. Toys, folk art and drawings reflecting Russia's rich cultural heritage also are on display.
Works by the young artists, who range in age from 6 to 14, have won awards and been displayed in exhibitions in Poland, Japan, India and China.
• What: Works by young artists ages 6 to 14. • When: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, through July 26 • Where: Honolulu Academy of Arts • Phone: 532-8701
The drawings and pictures, as crafted by students at the First Children's Art School in Vladivostok, show Russia through the eyes of children who see the country in vivid rainbows of color. Vladivostok, which means Lord of the East, is a city of about 700,000 in the Russian Far East, across the sea from Japan.
'Russia Through the Eyes of Children'
"This is not a gray Russia," Owen said. "This is a delight to see because it touches the beautiful world of children, which is full of freshness and beauty. They see the world in such vivid color."
More than 520 adults and 140 children turned out for the exhibition opening, including many members of the Russian community on O'ahu.
Approximately 350 Russians live in Hawai'i, and it's important for them to preserve and share their heritage, Owen said.
"Russia is Hawai'i's Pacific Rim neighbor. We are just separated by an ocean," Owen said. "I want people to look out over the ocean and think of Russia."
The display is the first Russian art exhibit the academy has hosted, said Karen Thompson, the curator of education at the academy.
The main idea behind the event is to foster cultural diversity, Thompson said. The exhibit teaches viewers about Russian culture and has the potential to spark creativity and understanding in the children who come to see it, she said.
Many members of the Russian community, like 5-year-old Anastasiya Brice, participated in the opening by dancing, singing and playing music for the crowd.
Dressed in a brightly patterned red-and-white Russian costume, Brice touched the crowd when she joined others to perform the traditional Russian nesting-doll dance for the first time.
"I was emotionally moved watching her perform this dance about love and about women," said her mother Tatiana Brice, a Ukrainian living in Waikiki. "This was a very special day. Today, her sun is rising for her."
It was a special day for others in the Russian community, too.
Simona Winstone,who moved to O'ahu from Moldova seven years ago, said she attended the opening because she wants her children Monica, 12, Gabrielle,10, and Artur, 9, to remember their heritage.
Winstone's children said it made them proud to hear people remarking about the talents of other Russian children.
"Not many people know about Russia," Artur said. "If they could understand it, then they would like it a lot more."
