At the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which call for action by all countries to protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, were adopted as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Goal 4 - Quality Education, is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. To inspire children’s love and curiosity for life and encourage them to discover, appreciate and create beauty, ICCSD and Green & Shine Foundation (G&S Foundation) jointly held the 2020 Charitable Art Exhibition, in a hope that it could give a boost to Goal 4. We expect that it can draw attention from society to the art education for ruralchildren by exhibiting their paintings which show their perception of beauty.

The collected paintings were from the pupils from Grade Three to Grade Five in Zhangcheng Primary School in Longde County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Da’an Primary School in Longshan County of Hunan Province. The exhibition was divided into two sections. The first part showed these children’s imitations of the world-class works of Van Gogh, David Hockney, Giorgio Morandi and other masters. By imitation, they could learn how to appreciate arts, the composition of paintings and the combination of infectious colors. The second part exhibited the children’s original paintings which would show their creative imagination for their hometowns and nature. Its aim was to spark their imaginations and creativity by showing their ideas with their colorful painting brushes.

Paintings on display

My hometown is located in deep mountains. On the top of the mountains, surrounded by lush green, there are brick houses with red-tile roofs. The terraces are crisscrossed and when the autumn approaches, they are strewn with fruits, which is an amazing scene.

Fields in My Hometown by Ma Juan

My Hometown by Xian Xuelian

Imitation of David Hockney  by Ma Yangmei 

What is beauty? In children’s eyes, it can be the bright red blossoms and green willows in the spring, the fields filled with fully ripened grains in the autumn, the tranquillity after snow in the winter. It can also be very simple - a leaf or a grass, a person or a scene.

After Snow  by Chen Huimin

Imitation of Amedeo Modigliani by Ma Ximin

Towel Gourd  by Yang Mingliang

(Follow ICCSD’s official account to enjoy more paintings )

Green & Shine Foundation started a charitable program for aesthetic education in rural primary schools incentral and western China in 2017. Aimed at aesthetic enlightenment, the program has designed a series ofactivities to impart basic knowledge and skills to children in order to inspire their desire for beauty. In 2019, inaddition to painting, dramas and music were added to the list and activities were expanded to summer camps,training courses and public shows besides one-week voluntary education. Up to now, more than 2000 ruralteachers have participated and got benefit from the program.