At first glance, there is no direct connection between the works of art by the students of the Ottfried-Preußler-Gymnasium Pullach, which are spread out on a table on Thursday afternoon. They are all colourful, with some scrawling over the edge here and there, sometimes with felt tip pen and sometimes with colored pencil. But if you take a closer look, you will notice that some motifs are recurring in the pictures: tanks, peace signs and rainbow flags.
The pictures were taken as part of an international peace project and are to be exhibited next weekend. The non-profit initiative “Colors for Peace” was founded in Italy in 2015, and now 136 countries are participating. Children between the ages of three and twelve all over the world draw pictures that show their individual ideas of peace. Thousands of works of art have been created in the past few years. “A hundred selected ones,” says Emily Barsi, who studied art history and is the German ambassador for the project, “are wandering around the world in exhibitions.” And now the curated selection will soon be supplemented by paintings by Pullach high school, elementary and middle school students.
Emily Barsi organizes the exhibition with children’s pictures from Pullach and all over the world.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
Barsi has been working at the Ottfried-Preußler-Gymnasium since 2019 and is currently organizing the exhibition in Pullach together with colleagues from all-day care, in which, in addition to the traveling exhibition, the contributions that were made at the Pullach schools and in the youth center are also shown. Some of these should then also go on trips. It is only the second exhibition of this kind to be held in Germany, says Barsi. Five years ago, children from the community of Grasbrunn pulled out their crayons for “Colors for Peace”.
But it is not only drawn and painted. According to Barsi, the students in the participating fifth and sixth grades would be sensitized to the topic in the classroom and in the afternoon care during the project. There were initially many questions and uncertainties among the students, especially about the Ukraine war, which were then dealt with together. Above all, however, we talk about peace: What can peace look like and how can it feel? Then everyone who wants to be part of the project can paint a picture that shows what peace means to them. And the task is implemented by the students in a variety of ways. While one paints a green pasture landscape with a blue sky, another draws a group of children peacefully holding hands. “You can see how differently the children interpret peace,” says Barsi. Especially at her school, where there are many students with refugee or immigrant backgrounds who grew up in a sheltered environment.
The exhibition will open on Saturday, May 14, in the Pullach community center. Barsi estimates that there would be a total of around 350 pictures. The vernissage lasts from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and a children’s art market is being held at the same time, the proceeds of which are to be donated to humanitarian organizations. Items for sale are items students have made with their art teachers or supervisors, including vases, keychains, pen holders and more.
The exhibition in the Pullach community center can be visited from 14 to 21 May 2022. The opening times are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Entry is free.