These pictures are created by children at a school and at a children's gallery Lalibela in Vienna. The connection between these two settings is the art educator Elizabeth Safer who was formerly Principal of the school and is Director of Lalibela.

In the school, classes of 25 to 30 pupils of the same age have art lessons one or two hours a week. In the gallery, 5 to 10 children between five and ten years of age come for one and a half hour to the gallery weekly. Elizabeth Safer explains "They come to the gallery in their leisure time of their own free will."

Regarding the philosophy of these settings, Elizabeth Safer explains:

"The background for me, for my teachers at school and for the co-workers at the gallery is to bring out children's ideas, meaning and emotion primarily. We say: "Kunsterziehung (art education) vom Kinde aus (begins by the child).

We want to give help, so the children can draw, paint and model in their own way. On this way we find meeting-points between child and art. The child discovers art with and through its own eyes. In this situation, children explain artefacts - the thoughts of grown-ups are not important only the way of children thoughts.

To broaden children's minds it is necessary that they can work with many different materials, in several techniques, make experiments and mix the materials and the techniques too. Nothing is forbidden! "

And regarding the media used:

"Mostly we work with colours, brushes in different sizes, on large or small papers, coloured or not, with very soft pencils, oil-crayon, sugar-crayon; we make collages with paper, textile, wooden or other materials; we model in clay, because this is a very natural material; we make prints, material-print, monographs, depron-print, silk-print.

Concerning the role of adults in the children's artmaking:

"It is very difficult for teachers and adults to give support in the right way. Both, much or less, is dangerous for art education. An emphasis on the final product means that children cannot develop their spirit in freedom, they have no space for making mistakes and no chance to learn by experience. On the other side, with no guidance, children miss personal structure and stimulation for development. So it is a very small way for supporting through adults. But it is very important for teachers and parents to have feeling for the right moment.

Further it is necessary to understand the pictorial language of the child, because the teacher can see the next step, which the child is able to do."

Elisabeth Safer, Bilderbogenbrucke
20 Jahre kreatives Gestalten mit Kindern

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