Drawing Hope
Children's Art for Peace

Drawing Hope Art Exhibit Comes to NYC

In the 80th year of the founding of the UN, 12 partner organizations from eight different countries have come together to organize an exhibition of children’s artwork to be displayed at the Delegate’s Entrance of the UN. The exhibit features self-portraits and letters to future friends in other parts of the world from Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, United States of America, Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Republic of South Africa, Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Republic of Colombia. The exhibit will be on display at the Delegate’s Entrance of the UN with an opening reception on November 11 from 6-8 PM.  

“The Drawing Hope Project began as an art exchange between children in South and North Korea, divided by the peninsula’s separation. It has now grown into a space of exchange and solidarity among diverse local organizations around the world,” said Yunseon Kim, General Director at Okedongmu Children in Korea, one of the organizations that created the exhibit. “Through their drawings, children have reached beyond the walls built by adults, introducing themselves and initiating dialogue.”

The exchange of drawings is a space to meet each other, even if it’s only through the artwork of children. “This rare exhibit opens up our hearts and ears to attentively listen and dream with our children of an interconnected and peaceful world they long for. This is in line with the principle that the UN was founded - dialogue and engagement to create more durable peace in a world shattered by violence,” Sue Park-Hur, Co-Founder, ReconciliAsian.

This exhibit is made possible through a partnership between Okedongmu Children in Korea and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). 

“As a Quaker organization, AFSC emphasizes the need for working across geographies to promote peace with justice,” said Jennifer Deibert, DPRK Program Director, AFSC. “The voices of the children continue to inspire us in this work to build hope for future generations through trans-local partnerships and solidarity.” 

The exhibit will not be open to the public, but a roundtable event and showcase will be held on November 12th from 12:00-2pm at the UN Church Center which is open to the public. It will be moderated by organizers, AFSC and OKCK, and feature speakers from ReconciliAsian, Proyecto El NIDO, Friends of the Northeast Asia Children’s Art Exhibition Organizing Committee, The Leah and Desmond Tutu Legacy Foundation, and Rcity Belfast. 

"For us, Drawing Hope is more than an exhibit — it is a reflection of what we live every day at El Nido: a community where life is honored, dignity is restored, and new stories of peace take flight,” said Leidy Johana Aguirre, Director of Proyecto El NIDO. 

​

What:  Roundtable: Drawing Hope in Conflict-affected Societies: Young People and Art in Trans-local Peacebuilding Peninsula            

When:  12-2pm (EST)

Where: UN Church Center and online. 

​

Additional information about the roundtable and registration can be found.

https://afsc.org/events/drawing-hope-young-people-and-art-trans-local-peacebuilding