March 2008 - May 2008
The World as Family, Paintbrush Diplomacy
Paintbrush Diplomacy, located in Menlo Park, California, encourages awareness of international issues and supports children's causes through a variety of programs including educational exchanges, community exhibitions, and special events. For nearly three decades, Paintbrush Diplomacy has facilitated exchanges of art and personal stories between children throughout the world. Children experience the diversity of cultures while learning that human beings are more alike than otherwise.
The paintings in this exhibition depict traditional and nontraditional families. These images were created by young people and collected by Paintbrush Diplomacy to be shared and exchanged for other artwork.
The artists range in age from eight to nineteen years old. The work comes from Egypt, Tibet, China, Zimbabwe, Romania, Argentina, Nigeria, Indonesia, Latvia, Japan, and India. Although the artists in this exhibition have not met, speak different languages, and live very separate lives, their ideals of family resonate with each other. The artists represent a universal idea of family, which includes safety and love; and they have succeeded in creating strong images of global interconnectedness starting with their families.
San Francisco Airport Museums has presented an ongoing exhibition of children's art at the San Francisco International Airport since 1980. The children's art program was suspended during airport construction in 1998 and resumed in 2000.
Children's art fosters and promotes interaction between the diverse communities in the Bay Area and the San Francisco International Airport. This program provides San Francisco schools and other community youth organizations that have children's art program the opportunity to exhibit two-dimensional art on paper.
Bay Area schools and nonprofit organizations are welcome to exhibit artwork. The two gallery spaces are located at Baggage Claim level of Terminal One, Concourses A and C.