PICTURE WORTH 1,000 WORDS YOUNG ARTISTS TAKE CRAYONS TO PAPER TO REVEAL THEIR PAIN.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer Lining the walls of the Every Picture Tells a Story gallery for the next month are drawings that could as easily be attached to a refrigerator door or tacked to a proud parent's office cubicle. They bear the distinct mark of a child's imagination and creativity. Except the subjects are hardly childlike. You won't see an abundance of sun, rainbows or houses - images that typically dominate art by children. Occasionally, the faces will be smiling. More often, not. A clay modeled hand is covered with pins. In a crayon crayon, any drawing material available in stick form. The term includes charcoal, conte crayon, chalk, pastel, grease crayon, litho crayon, and children's wax colors. and charcoal drawing (Fine Arts) a drawing made with charcoal. See Charcoal, 2. Until within a few years this material has been used almost exclusively for preliminary outline, etc., but at present many finished drawings are made with it. See also: Charcoal , the haunted-eyed face of a single flower (Bot.) a flower with but one set of petals, as a wild rose. See also: Single grows out of a pile of rocks. In another crayon drawing, a stick figure adult rescues a child following the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. The artists' names aren't revealed. We only learn their age, gender and the element of their lives that makes their stories more complicated. The young artists featured in ``Childhood Revealed: Art Expressing Pain, Discovery and Hope,'' suffer from learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (ADD or ADHD) formerly hyperactivity Behavioral syndrome in children, whose major symptoms are inattention and distractibility, restlessness, inability to sit still, and difficulty concentrating on one thing for any , anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. Some have been victims of divorce; others have suffered physical and sexual abuse. And, just like children who have never experienced trauma or mental illness, these painters and sculptors - ages 4 to 18 - have found a way to express themselves through art. ``Everybody knows that children's artwork is beautiful,'' says Dr. Harold Koplewicz, director of the New York University New York University, mainly in New York City; coeducational; chartered 1831, opened 1832 as the Univ. of the City of New York, renamed 1896. It comprises 13 schools and colleges, maintaining 4 main centers (including the Medical Center) in the city, as well as the Child Study Center. ``You can be psychiatrically ill and still be a child. That's what this is all about.'' The exhibition will be at the Los Angeles gallery through July 30 before continuing a national tour through the end of 2001. Proceeds from the exhibition and from an accompanying coffee table book - co-edited by Koplewicz and Dr. Robin Goodman - will benefit research at the Child Study Center. During its stay, the art - which includes water color drawings, collages and sculpture - will educate, and, Koplewicz hopes, enlighten those who see it. The images may disturb people as well, but as Child Study Center officials note, there's nothing pretty about mental illness. More than 10 million children and teens in the United States suffer from mental health problems such as depression, eating disorders eating disorders, in psychology, disorders in eating patterns that comprise four categories: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, rumination disorder, and pica. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation to avoid obesity. , learning disabilities and anxiety, but only a fraction have been diagnosed and receive treatment. Exhibitions like ``Childhood Revealed'' help give these children and their afflictions some much-needed recognition. ``We're dealing with an issue that we don't think gets talked about enough, and dealing with some brutal subjects,'' says Brein Lopez, Every Picture's curator. ``There's a tendency for adults to just sort of stay away from emotional issues, but I think it's very important that we allow ourselves to see that kids do deal with these types of emotions on a daily basis.'' This isn't the usual fare for Every Picture Tells a Story, which typically displays art from children's books. But gallery officials had recently been studying the works and career of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, a woman who pioneered art therapy techniques during the Holocaust, and the subject of a future exhibition. They concluded that the ``Childhood Revealed'' exhibition was a perfect fit after all. ``With art being banned from schools over the last 12 years, we're losing our ability to experience art on a daily basis,'' said Lopez. ``When art is used as a way for kids to relate to their surroundings and emotions, it's a good thing.'' More than 700 pieces of artwork - all submitted anonymously by the children's teachers, counselors and therapists - were entered for consideration in the exhibition. A jury of teachers, artists and educators, including New Yorker art critic Paul Goldberger - made the final selection for ``Childhood Revealed.'' But as revealing as the artwork may seem, Koplewicz cautions exhibition visitors to refrain from becoming amateur clinicians after looking at the pictures. ``The works themselves are not diagnostic. It would be inappropriate and unsafe to interpret what they mean.'' says Koplewicz. ``A child who doesn't have the same disorder can do the same work. Some of them are just beautiful pieces of art.'' In many cases, however, the artists themselves provide a window of interpretation via an extended caption. Under his acrylic and watercolor titled ``Breaking Through,'' a 15-year-old boy with bipolar disorder bipolar disorder, formerly manic-depressive disorder or manic-depression, severe mental disorder involving manic episodes that are usually accompanied by episodes of depression. writes: ``In this painting I am portraying myself on the dark side and other people on the light side. There is a chain in the middle because I used to put up an emotional wall and did not let others help me. I used drugs for help instead. Well, now the chain is broken and I let others help. I am not alone anymore.'' Since opening at the Whitney Museum of American Art Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City, founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. It was an outgrowth of the Whitney Studio (1914–18), the Whitney Studio Club (1918–28), and the Whitney Studio Galleries (1928–30). in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of last November, ``Childhood Revealed'' has spawned several tie-in events. Local medical facilities have sponsored forums on mental health and, in certain cases, have brought in celebrities who suffered from various forms of illness or physical disabilities as children. Katie Couric wrote the forward to the book, which also includes a paragraph from Ted Kennedy Jr. A few of the artists have even broken their anonymity, appearing at functions to talk about their works. ``We want to educate America about these disorders, and hopefully we can leave something behind,'' says Koplewicz. ``It's not that the New York University Child Study Center is coming to California. The idea is that these kids are everywhere.'' Recognizing the signs Symptoms for the various illnesses featured in ``Childhood Revealed:'' Depression: Symptoms are similar to those of depressed adults - feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless. Eating disorders: The most common symptom is abnormal eating behavior, often accompanied by a distorted body image. Anxiety disorder anxiety disorder n. Any of various psychiatric disorders in which anxiety is either the primary disturbance or is the result of confronting a feared situation or object. : Children with a disorder are unable to calm themselves because the fear or worry is so intense. Disorders include separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder Panic Disorder Definition A panic attack is a sudden, intense experience of fear coupled with an overwhelming feeling of danger, accompanied by physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a pounding heart, sweating, and rapid breathing. , obsessive-compulsive disorder obsessive-compulsive disorder Mental disorder in which an individual experiences obsessions or compulsions, either singly or together. An obsession is a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an unreasonable idea or feeling (such as of being contaminated through shaking and social phobia social phobia n. A psychiatric disorder characterized by anxiety about being in public or social gatherings. Also called social anxiety disorder. . Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depressive disorder depressive disorder Psychiatry Any of a number of conditions characterized by one or more depressive episodes–major DD, depressed mood–dysthymic disorder and adjustment disorder with depressed mood, and those that do not fit the criteria of other ): Characterized by intense, persistent mood swings. Children feel helpless, hopeless and worthless. The illness is also characterized by mania marked by grandiosity and exuberance. Schizophrenia: Characteristics include difficulty telling the difference between reality and fantasy; disorganized dis·or·gan·ize tr.v. dis·or·gan·ized, dis·or·gan·iz·ing, dis·or·gan·iz·es To destroy the organization, systematic arrangement, or unity of. or illogical speech and thoughts of hurting oneself or others. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), formerly called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, a chronic, neurologically based syndrome characterized by any or all of three types of behavior: hyperactivity, distractibility, and impulsivity. : Major symptoms include inattention in·at·ten·tion n. Lack of attention, notice, or regard. Noun 1. inattention - lack of attention basic cognitive process - cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge , impulsiveness and hyperactivity hyperactivity, excessive physical activity of emotional or physiological origin, usually seen in young children; one of the components of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. . Learning differences: Caused by glitches in neurological functioning of the brain and may include problems with visual perception, information processing and motor skills. Pervasive development disorders and autism autism (ô`tĭzəm), developmental disability resulting from a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain. It is characterized by the abnormal development of communication skills, social skills, and reasoning. : Symptoms usually occur early in life. As infants, children with these disorders are unaffectionate or reject physical contact. As they get older, children have a hard time with tasks involving language, communication, socialization socialization /so·cial·iza·tion/ (so?shal-i-za´shun) the process by which society integrates the individual and the individual learns to behave in socially acceptable ways. so·cial·i·za·tion n. and motor skills. Post traumatic stress disorder Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) A disorder that occurs among survivors of severe environmental stress such as a tornado, an airplane crash, or military combat. Symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, and nightmares. : Victims live in a constant state of fearfulness, reliving a traumatic experience over and over. They may also suffer from disorganized or agitated ag·i·tate v. ag·i·tat·ed, ag·i·tat·ing, ag·i·tates v.tr. 1. To cause to move with violence or sudden force. 2. behavior, emotional numbness, anxiety or depression. Abuse: Symptoms include irritations around the mouth, genital or anal areas or marks anywhere on the body that can't be explained. Victims may also have difficulty walking, sitting, urinating or moving body parts. Their personalities, sleeping and eating patterns may change. Divorce: Most children adjust to the changes in family within a year or two. However, about one fourth will suffer from ongoing stress. Physical illness: Children may blame themselves, feel scared and angry or develop a poor self image. SOURCE: ``Childhood Revealed: Art Expressing Pain, Discovery and Hope (Harry N. Abrams Inc.; $35) The facts --What: ``Childhood Revealed: Art Expressing Pain, Discovery and Hope.'' --Where: Every Picture Tells a Story, 7525 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. --When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; through July 30. --How much: Admission is free. --Information: Call (323) 932-6070 or visit www.AboutOurKids.org. CAPTION(S): 10 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Male, 15 years old. "Breaking Through," 1998. (2 -- color) Female, 18 years old. "Camouflaged," 1996. (3 -- color) Male, 11 years old. "Untitled," 1991. (4 -- color) Male, 16 years old. "Divine Elegance," 1996. (5 -- color) Female, 15 years old. "Image," 1998. (6 -- color) Female, 14 years old. "Untitled," 1998. (7 -- color) Male, 16 years old. "Me on ADD," 1998. (8 -- color) Male, 4 years old, "Untitled," 1995. (9) Female, 16 years old, "Tiger," 1998. (10) 'You can be psychiatrically ill and still be a child. That's what this is all about.' Dr. Harold Koplwicz director of the New York University Child Study Center Box: Recognizing the signs (See text) |
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