Exhibit of children’s art marks milestone at Winnipeg gallery

A masterpiece of a child artist in the previous “Through the Eyes of a Child” exhibit.
(Photo from Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Facebook page)

WINNIPEG – Each spring the Winnipeg Art Gallery presents “Through the Eyes of a Child,” an exhibition of works created by children enrolled in its WAG Studio art classes.

This year marks a milestone: it’s the show’s 30th anniversary plus the 80th anniversary of WAG Studio, which the gallery describes as the oldest civic art gallery education program in the country.

The exhibition runs from March 26 to May 8.

There will be works by about 500 children and, as an added bonus, creations by established Manitoba artists who are past WAG Studio students or instructors. The names include Wanda Koop – winner of a 2016 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, announced March 7 – Jordan Van Sewell, Diane Whitehouse and Tim Schouten.

For the children, “to see their vibrant work alongside that of established artists will be so inspiring,” WAG Studio manager Diane Lafournaise said.

Koop credits free art classes she took as a child at the WAG with having a profound effect.

“I know the power of art to transform lives, so it was that early opportunity of getting those first free art classes that changed my life,” Koop told the Winnipeg Free Press.

An open house, free to the public, is planned to kick off the exhibition March 26.