Bay children’s art to be shown internationally

Nearly 60 artworks by children from across the metro, depicting life in the Eastern Cape, will soon be showcased to an international audience.

Artombo art project coordinator Louise Greyling will travel today to Germany, where the proudly local artworks will be exhibited during the BUIS-Tage conference for social entrepreneurship later this month.

After this, the art will also be on display in Norway.

The conference is being hosted by the University of Oldenburg, which has supported the Artombo project since its inception in 2013.

The project, which offers weekly art classes to children from all over the metro, has been run independently since 2016.

The university also sponsored Greyling’s visit to Germany to gain greater exposure for the project.

“The university’s international office invited me to host a few lectures and then attend the conference,” she said.

Each delegate at the conference will also be given a bag with an Artombo artwork imprinted on it.

Greyling said the university was also hosting a fun run to aid in fundraising for Artombo.

These funds would be used towards art materials and transport costs for the pupils who depend on Artombo volunteers to get to the classes at DF Malherbe High School.
“We have 25 children from grades 4 to 7 attending every week, but my dream is for us to have 80 in all – 20 for each of the four classes.”

After the German visit, Greyling and her husband Jean – who will also present a paper at the conference – will take the artwork to Norway.

“When we told friends in Norway about our trip to Germany, they invited us to [take it] there as well.”

The exhibition, in Hamar at the Norsk Jembanemuseum, forms part of the Stoppested Verden, which is the largest international children’s festival in Norway.

The metro has contributed R10 000 in support of this trip.

“The festival has an African theme,” Greyling said.

“We are taking all the artworks from all the children, which is nearly 60 pieces and will give a very good image of the metro [out there] and show people the Eastern Cape.

“The children and their parents are very proud.

“I’m also very excited to see how the people will react.

“I just know they won’t be able to believe how good the artworks are.

“They will see the value of the project and will want to get involved, [and] we’re hoping to create lasting partnerships [with stakeholders abroad].”