Visit in person
Children Draw War, Not Flowers is a traveling exhibit of drawings that will be on view at Tisch Library in mid-November through late January. A selection of drawings is featured from over 450 artworks created by Ukrainian children from Cherkasy city and region as well as by children from internally displaced families who found temporary homes in Cherkasy region, Ukraine. The art was created in the Fall of 2022, during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War that began in February 2022. The Cherkasy Regional Universal Scientific Library held a drawing competition in 40 public regional libraries, where over 220 thousands of displaced people resided at that moment.
Children who participated in the contest, ages 6 through 18, documented their experiences of war, trauma, and hope. More than 450 drawings were produced and some of the best - 60 in total - have traveled to the United States for exhibition. The drawings depict weapons, loss, soldiers, and destroyed buildings and artifacts. However, the overall feeling is positive and projects hope: the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag are abundantly present. Angels hover over Ukrainian soldiers’ backs, witches cast spells to lead the enemy astray, and sunflowers and storks, symbols of national solidarity, hang over images of war.
The exhibit at Tisch Library is curated and installed by Anna Kijas with Ulia Gosart’s (San Jose State University) assistance as coordinator of this traveling exhibit across several institutions. You can view the entire collection of drawings in an online exhibit curated by volunteers of the Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online Initiative.
(Image entitled, "«Україна переможе!» "Ukraine will win!" was created by Yana Kh. (8 years))