Paint Pals : Artworks From Around the Globe Link Children of Many Cultures in La Habra Exhibit

Sri Lankan villagers ringed by soldiers and flames. A pair of racing sculls gliding down a palm-lined river in India. An Arab grandmother, her eyes bright behind her inky veil, spinning tales for a circle of young listeners.

These are the images of “Paintbrush Diplomacy, Children of the World Paint in a Single Language” a touring exhibit of 70 works by artists ages 4 to 16 from 38 countries. Along with more than 300 multimedia works by La Habra-area school children, “Paintbrush Diplomacy” continues through June 6 at the Children’s Museum at La Habra as part of the museum’s annual Children’s Art Festival.

The festival will be highlighted Saturday by a multicultural program of free performances, workshops and demonstrations in the museum and surrounding park.

La Habra’s exhibit represents a portion of the 3,000-piece collection that organizers of the San Francisco Bay area Paintbrush Diplomacy group have amassed since its founding in 1972. The collection is continually growing through the group’s sponsorship of an annual art and letter exchange program between schools in the United States and abroad, which last year involved 12,000 youngsters worldwide. The group showcases its collection through loans to museums, libraries and community centers across the country; a permanent gallery space is planned in San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center in 1993.

According to Germaine Juneau, the nonprofit group’s executive director, “Paintbrush Diplomacy” exhibits are designed to help viewers of all ages see the similarities and differences of various cultures through the eyes of a child, hopefully setting the stage for better global relations.

“Our first criteria (in selecting pieces for the collection) is the kids’ message,” said Juneau, a former project director for the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). “Artistic ability is important, too, but what really matters is the communication.”

In the La Habra exhibit, the “Paintbrush Diplomacy” works are divided into seven categories: war and peace, festivals and dance, family and friends, animals, portraits, people at work, and sports and play.

Gallery cards are concise, noting the artist’s name and age at the time of the work (some pieces date back to the 1970s), and a simple map and flag of the home country. Although the cards are helpful, a brief biography of each artist would help youngsters relate more closely to the works. (This will be remedied in future exhibits by adding excerpts from letters that artists now submit with their works, Juneau said.)

Two pieces by Sri Lankan youths are among the show’s most dramatic entries. In “Mealtime,” a family gathers around the table, the dark browns and blues of their skin and clothing illuminated by the yellow glow of a single lamp. Contrasting this is “War in Paradise,” a chaotic scene of panicked villagers, stony-faced soldiers and flaming structures. The works were created by artists ages 9 and 10.

A 16-year-old Chinese girl contributed “Moondance,” a serene portrait of a dancer poised in mid-step. A steely-eyed teen-ager peers from beneath a helmet of acid-green hair in a portrait by an 11-year-old British girl. “From the Field,” an entry by a 14-year-old Indian youth, depicts a weary, bare-chested father and son carrying sheaves of wheat on their heads.

The La Habra youngsters took their cue from the international exhibit, focusing on the themes of sports and play and festivals and dance, but adding a distinctly California flavor.

Sports figures abound, ranging from the tin foil sculptures of athletes by pupils of Las Positas Elementary School to countless adoring portraits of Magic Johnson. Ladera Palma second-graders pay tribute to Cinco de Mayo in their dioramas, and sixth-graders at Imperial Middle School tip their hats to the Fourth of July with a mix of verse and splattered paint.

According to museum assistant director Melissa Banning, the theme of Saturday’s Art Festival Day was selected to reflect the multicultural mix by “showing the community how many different cultures have made this such a colorful society.”

Beginning at 10 a.m., musical and dance performances will be held every half hour on an outdoor stage. Entertainment includes the Orange County Chinese Dancers, the Taiko Drummers, Middle Eastern folk dancing by Angelika Nemeth, international folk songs by Ossie Sladek and dance and pop music performances by the children’s troupes Wanna Dance and Show Biz Couzins.

American Indian themes will be explored in performances and question-and-answer periods by the Red Tipi Descendants. There will also be a weaving, textile and tapestry display and workshop and an archeological exhibit on the early Southwestern tribes.

Inside the museum, a series of hands-on art stations will be open, with features ranging from Mexican tin art to face painting. A Chinese calligraphy workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, and Japanese origami will be taught between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All workshops are recommended for ages 5 and up.

What: Children’s Art Festival exhibit and Children’s Art Festival Day.

When: Exhibit continues through June 6. (Regular gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Festival Day is Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St., La Habra.

Whereabouts: Exit the Orange (57) Freeway at Lambert Road. Drive west four miles to Euclid Street and turn right.

Wherewithal: Museum admission is $2.50 to $3. Gallery admission and activities are free on festival day.

Where to call: (310) 905-9793.