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CHILDREN OF THE WORLD ILLUSTRATE

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A Biblical
Rainbow

Children's art exhibit opens at
Janice Charach Epstein Galery.

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Clockwise from top
The book's colorful cover art is by 12-
year-old Vasco Xanor Martins Corria
of Portugal.

Jonah being spat out by the whale, as
painted by Shing Hwang, 10, of
Taiwan.

BY SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News

oung artists imaginations —
given free rein over ancient bib-
lical history — have created
countless colorful works of joy,
innocence and insight.
The Children of the World Illustrate the Bible
exhibit is the amazing end result. Its first
showing in North America is on Sunday, Jan.
6, at the Janice Charach Epstein Gallery at the
West Bloomfield Jewish Community Center.
The exhibit remains through Feb. 28.
Showcased are original paintings submitted
by young people, Jewish and Christian, for an
international competition celebrating the 50th
anniversary of Israel's statehood in 1998.
The 200 works are among 800,000 entries
from 91 countries. The young artists chose
their own subjects — and the variety touches
upon very personal visions inspired by the
Tanach (or "Old Testament").
"Not only did we find drawings of stories,
but we also found a wide rainbow of emo-
tions, notions, beliefs and outlooks," said
Amos Rolnik, whose MallMedia Publishing
House organized the exhibit. "Above all, there
were personal expressions and riveting exposi-
tions without filters, analysis or criticism."
For example, Maya Harel, 14, an Australian,
presents a Creation image by placing a gold
moon and silver stars against a black sky.
Josefin Bjoklund, 14, of Sweden, suggests a
sealed Noah's ark by showing a wooden boat
with no observable crew or passengers.
Prescilla Barrantes, 15, a Costa Rican, renders
a simple parting of the Red Sea for Moses by
avoiding details in turquoise walls of water, a
brown sandy path and small shadowed figures.
Each of the paintings takes on new dimen-
sions when compared to other children's ver-
sions of the same subject. The Jonah painted
by Kadri Merivlla, 10, of Estonia, looks both
frightened and startled, while the Jonah paint-
ed by Andrea Pavlikova, 11, of the Czech
Republic, appears more calm.
"I've learned that the Bible still'says a lot to
many people," explains Rolnik. "I spent five
years working on this and flew to 60 coun-
tries."

A 12-year-old from Taiwan painted
this happy scene of Noah's Ark.

Lara Limansky, 8, of Argentina,
shows what slavery was like in Egypt.

BY SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News

Jacob's ladder, as seen by Balugh
Eniko, 8, of Hungary.

hildren ages 5-12 are invited
to paint biblical images, have
their work displayed at the
Janice Charach Epstein
Gallery and compete for gift certificates
toward the purchase of art supplies.
"We will have tables set up with all
kinds of materials, and youngsters can

The drama of the thwarted sacrifice
of Isaac is captured by 11-year-old
Russian Tina Vissarinova.

Hanna Tulmin, 16, of Estonia,
expresses her vision of Creation.

2002

so

Local kids can enter
their own Bible
painting contest.