国際児童画展のあゆみ

Foreword The Children’s Art Exhibition was designed as a part of the Lounge Festival that began in 1996 with the support of YOKE (Yokohama Association of International Communication and Exchange). Since then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Fullbright Teachers for Gloval Program from year 2001, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports Science, from year 2002, have become sponsors of this project. A large number of elementary schoools and junior high schoools, domestic and from abroad, have participated in this exhibition over the years. Pictures drawn by Japanese children have been sent to participating schools in other countires for the children there, to see and to feel how Japanese children expressed themselves through their drawings on the same theme they were given. The pictures we received from abroad are displayed at a number of exhibitions throughout Japan. These exhibitions draw great interest and are well received everywhere. All of these pictuires drawn by the children have been uploaded on the Lounger website. To our delight, the number of inquiries regarding our project have increased considerably and the number of children participating in our exhibitions are increasing as well. Twenty years have elapsed since this project began. We are pleased to report that we now have with us five thousand pictures drawn by children from all over the world. We are in the midst of organizing and managing our enormous collection. We are “happy struggling” to accomplish this task. These drawings done by children from world around are, each one of them, a priceless treasure to us. All five thousand of them, each one expressing a story of its own, a wonderful moment captured by a child artist in his/her particular environment somewhere in our world, are certainly very special. We would like to thank each and everyone of the children who drew for us and those who helped to make this project successful. To express our gratitude and appreciation, we would like to send you this 20 th anniversary commemorative book. Ms. Sumiko Yamamoto Addendum: In 2006, Kumamoto Prefecture, in southern Japan, was struck by an earthquake bringing much damage to the area. As a means to raise the morale of the poople there suffering under severe condiions, a selection of artwork on the theme “Smile” was sent to them for exhibition childrens’ artwork with its “magical power” was received with great appreciation and acclaim.