The West Town Chamber of Commerce to Exhibit Bennett Day School's PEACE Project, 'Sunflowers of Peace'
The West Town Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce May’s month-long exhibition of the PEACE Project’s 'Sunflowers of Peace', co-presented by Bennett Day School.
Led by Bennett Day School's 1st-8th grade art teacher, Olenka Bodnarskyj, the project highlights art as a form of activism and encourages students to express their concept of peace through their artwork.
Reproductions of the children’s art will be for sale in the form of greeting cards with proceeds benefiting St. Nicholas Cathedral School’s 'Help Our Refugee Children' campaign.
The exhibition is a collaboration to foster solidarity with Ukraine and kicks off with a First Fridays opening reception
As a Ukrainian herself, Olenka has been talking to her students about the importance of using art as a means of social change. She has also been volunteering at the St. Nicholas Cathedral School in the Ukrainian Village, offering an art workshop for refugee children at the school. More than 85 refugee children entered the school in the past year, making the workshop a valuable opportunity for them to express themselves and connect with their new community. Eight of these children’s works will be included in the exhibit.
The PEACE Project's 'Sunflowers for Peace' has every student creating an artwork interpreting their concept/belief of peace, incorporating the sunflower as the main subject matter. The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine and a universal symbol of hope and growth. The project aims to showcase the students' creativity while highlighting the importance of solidarity with those facing conflict and human rights violations around the world.
The exhibit kicks off with a First Fridays event on Friday, May 5, 2023 from 5pm-8pm at the West Town Chamber of Commerce located at 1819 W Chicago Ave. Reproductions of the Ukrainian children’s art will be for sale in the form of greeting cards with proceeds benefiting St. Nicholas Cathedral School’s 'Help Our Refugee Children' campaign. Further, other West Town galleries will stay open late on Friday, May 5, 2023 to allow visitors to explore West Town by means of a self-guided gallery walk and tour. The PEACE Project exhibit will remain open throughout the month of May at the office of the West Town Chamber of Commerce and can be visited during opening hours.
IMAGERY
Click here to view student work from 'Sunflowers of Peace'.
ABOUT THE WEST TOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The West Town Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization with hundreds of small business members. The Chamber’s mission is to foster community and economic development by empowering businesses with information and technical resources, creating connections, and providing neighborhood-wide marketing and other valuable programming. To learn more, visit www.westtownchamber.org.
Ryan Beshel
SIX4 Creative
ryan@six4creative.com
1 https://www.westtownchamber.org
2 https://bennettday.org
3 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/lyp4syr69hi617uw1mydk/h?dl=0&rlkey=z9uz0q8wl8udh0hgtjkqoy127
