Through the Eyes of Friends

Friend's Long Day Care Centre and Preschool - Through the Eyes of Friends

26th AUGUST 2010:

Opening of

Through the Eyes of Friends,

an exhibition by children who attend the

St Vincent's Hospital based

Friend's Long Day Care Centre and Preschool,

at the Serpentine Community Gallery

on Thursday, from 6pm.

Through the Eyes of Friends

will bring all the enthusiasm of childhood to the gallery

as we celebrate the artistic creativity

of our younger Northern Rivers artists.

Grab the chance to view

some of the newest local artworks

with very fresh, very honest

and sometimes very original approaches.

Come on down to the Serpentine

and join the fun of opening night,

including a small auction commencing at 7.15pm.

Refreshments available.

Wine for the oldies, and juice or soda for the little'uns.

Exhibition runs from 25th August until 4th September.

This exhibition is part of an ongoing project developed by teachers Katie Pennant and Kellie Lee.

- On art and our little'uns -

1) There is a moment in a child's life when dots and lines are just that

and there is a moment when they mean something.

Ursula Kolbe - "It's not a bird yet," The Drama of Drawing

2) Developing the language of visual communication

includes recognising and utilising symbols or marks to represent something.

Dots and lines are basic elements of science, literature, maths and art,

their meaning can be many things and anything.

The children in the babies room have engaged with all these marks purposefully and personally.

3) Ella compares her dots to Dorothy the Dinosaur's.

Ziggy counts and sorts his dots into sizes.

Samara stretches and bends and 'writes' her dots.

Max sings his dots and makes long, strong lines.

Cooper shouts out "...dots!"

Olivia points out dots on fallen leaves.

Oliver gets busy with dots and makes lots and lots.

'W...W...White'

Textures are reflected in this collage on canvas that was created by the toddler group at Friends Child Care.

The white tone of the piece highlights the various textures of both natural and manmade objects. Tactile awareness is crucial to early childhood learning and development. Educators value exploring the senses in a social setting to encourage children to negotiate with peers and appreciate individual's contributions.

The children worked in small groups to explore

the white materials provided by the educators.

As individuals, they glued items on the canvas in a purposeful way, often describing

the meaning of its placement.

"The big one is the mummy one, the big one is the daddy one and this little one is the baby."

We recognise art as a language that allows children

to communicate ideas and stories.

- Friend's Child Care