NEWPORT BEACH : Sharing a Child’s World View

The artwork of 150 elementary school students offers adults a chance to see the world through a child’s eyes and may inspire other young artists, say organizers of the Major Art/Minor Artists museum show this month.

The display is the result of an artists-in-residence program called Special Studio in which artist Helen Seigel and teachers Jocelyn Dixon and Frank Dixon spent 20 weeks instructing students from Santa Ana in the basics of art history and major art movements. The teachers then coached the youngsters and coaxed them to express themselves with their new knowledge.

The students, third- through fifth-graders from Diamond, Garfield, Harvey, Heninger and Walker elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District, were selected to take part in the Special Studio program because of their artistic potential.

The exhibit includes house-shaped diorama boxes, modeled after Peruvian retablos ; a glittering row of “Animal Shields”; and a piece titled “Disney Dollars” featuring images of $1, $2, $50 and $100 bills featuring portraits of Pinocchio, Snow White, the Little Mermaid and Peter Pan rather than American statesmen.

The Special Studio program is in its third year. The exhibit will be on view from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday through July 2 at Newport Harbor Art Museum, 850 San Clemente Drive.

Information: (714) 759-1122.