The National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo recently hosted an exhibition titled Khula Udweba as part of its outreach programme whose broad aim is to give schools a platform to showcase talent.
“We want schools to continue practicing and teaching visual arts as well as encourage those that do not teach art as a subject to be interested,” said Clifford Zulu, the gallery’s outreach officer.
A total of 16 schools are taking part in the exhibition. Works on display include paintings, prints, beadwork and sculpture.
The schoolchildren are out to show that they also have talent and could handle different art mediums competently.
The works include landscapes, human figures, wildlife as well as some semi-abstract pieces. Most of the schools walked away with prizes for entering commendable works of art.
Veteran educationist Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, who attended the exhibition’s launch, commended the school children for coming up with exciting works of art.
“This is an important exhibition because it showcases children’s talent in art. Their talent, which we were not aware of before, has now been brought to the fore via the exhibition,” said Ndlovu.
“Art is a mirror of society. We now get to see the world through the eyes of children as they grow up.”
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Ndlovu said the exhibition would open up opportunities for young ones to “become some of the best artists in the world”.
He said the fact that some of the works also depicted important national symbols such as the Zimbabwe Bird as well the national monument, Great Zimbabwe is a testament to the children’s pride in local history.
He said art teachers should now look at putting such works on the internet because art is “cross-cultural and apolitical”.
Schools that submitted works include Mzilikazi, Eveline, Luveve, Townsend, Premier, Masotsha and Nketa high schools as well as Christian Brothers College and Cyrene Mission.
Primary schools that took part included Mabhukudwana, Masiyephambili, Ngwalongwalo, St Thomas Aquinas, Inzwananzi, Dominican Convent and King George VI.
