This exhibit of Children’s Art on the Environment illustrates the power of children’s art as a means of environmental education and communication. A contest among nearly one million Chinese children (ages 5 to 15) resulted in this collection of nearly 100 paintings. Each painting powerfully communicates a child’s awareness, feelings, and hopes that transcend language and culture.

Our goal is first to share these paintings with you, the peers of the young Chinese artists and their teachers. We hope you will discover how you see the environment differently and how you see it the same; then paint something about the environment where you live; organize a contest of your own or help your museum develop projects to complement the exhibit!

The U.S. Museum Tour is the result of the Children’s Art on the Environment Project (CAEP) nation-wide children’s Art on the Environment Competition in China. In the two-year period (2003-2005) the exhibit can cover nearly eight venues. Our efforts in organizing this tour have been directed toward finding interested museums and creating a geographically balanced exposure across the United States. Below is the tour schedule:

The Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education in the San Francisco Bay Area hosted the very first exhibit in the United States- from April 4th to July 27, 2003. Many local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) together with the San Mateo County’s Office of Education have taken deep interest in supporting and enhancing this special exhibit for children.

Some activities have been organized by local groups to complement the exhibit:

• Kollage Community School for the Arts is going to hold monthly art workshops at Coyote Point Museum during that period to have local children and adults respond to what they see from the Chinese Children’s work.
  
• San Mateo County RecycleWorks, which has a strong program in promoting Conservation, wishes to have their annual art competition winners be shown in China. Definitely, a rippling effect is growing and the public awareness and enthusiam is contagious.
• New Canaan Nature Center & New Canaan Library, together with the Chinese Language School of Connecticut, Organization of Chinese Americans -- Fairfield Chapter. To enhance the Chinese Children's Art Exhibit ad New Canaan, (FCA) Families with Children from China, organized a series of lectures on Chinese culture at alternating locations. Subjects covered: Chinese literature, Poetry, Culinary Art, Landscape Architecture, Painting, Music, and more.
  
• Zeum San Francisco is an Art and Technology Museum for children. It's multi-media presentations also included U.S. Children's art taken by The 1990 Institute to show in Shanghai and Beijing in 2004. The U.S. children whose art is in this exhibit are from the Kollage Community School in Belmont, CA, the Odyssey School in San Mateo, CA and the Hillview Middle School in Menlo Park, CA.
• New Canaan Exhibit Opening. (PDF)