Exchanging Views

Education Services at the National Gallery of Victoria presents an annual student exhibition to heighten public awareness of the value and importance of art education in schools. Previous exhibitions have only represented Victorian schools but this year’s display ‘Exchanging Views’ features paintings and drawings from children in Melbourne’s sister cities, Osaka (Japan), Tianjin (China), Thessaloniki (Greece) and Boston (U.S.A.). This international involvement was made possible through the assistance of the Friendship City Office of the City of Melbourne.

Children paint and draw what they know and understand. The delight of their art is often in the subject matter which they choose, or the unique manner in which they capture their thoughts. Children depict things the way they think things should be, or the way they want them to be.
‘Exchanging Views’ focuses on the pre-occupations and interests of students from five to eighteen years old. The exhibition suggests that there are common themes in children’s art both here in Victoria and overseas, but each view is personal and depends on the child’s age, culture, experience and individuality.

Sourced from: Lorri Banes & Peter Wilson, Exchanging Views, National Gallery of Victoria, 1986, p.1.