A gallery museum for children

• New initiative by Shyamala School of Art

Shyamala School of Art has launched a gallery museum for children, welcoming children and parents to walk through a museum of curated work done by London O/L and A/L Art and Design students as well as by children of ages 4 to 18. The museum concept is based on curated works of art by these categories of students. 

Adult students’ work done for relaxation and de-stressing will continue to be exhibited.

The museum will be open for the next two months and will keep being developed into new themes.

The museum was launched with the introduction of Frida Kahlo, where students are given a creative opportunity to learn from the life and work of a woman who never gave up.

Art and design is not a well-recognised priority subject in our country. However we have very talented young people in our country where their dream is to study art, and Shyamala Pinto-Jayawardena, the Founder of the Shyamala School of Art, has been spearheading, encouraging and teaching art for this reason. The thinking was that if art was not taken seriously enough or given a place of higher recognition, how would a nation encourage the growth of highly talented young artists, who would contribute so much to a nation’s society? 

If we do not make and develop artists with depth of thought, ability to conceptualise a nation’s dreams and help to channel personal emotions and experiences into a creative medium, we lose the ability as a nation to grow, to share and work as a valuable part of the global community.

Hence Shyamala’s effort to create a ‘museum gallery’ dedicated to children with the aim of energising and inspiring young minds as well as to give children more quality time with their busy parents and caregivers, through the pride of seeing the work of their loved children on display!

Every child will like to have a beautiful piece of work done, exhibited and retained in a museum dedicated to the art and craft of children and youth and this ground-breaking initiative has been made possible at the Shyamala School of Art.

The Shyamala School of Art was opened in 2001 with the sole intention of serving and enhancing the creativity of young talented minds; creating a safe space that encourages the development of a well-balanced and integrated personality.

The SSA specialises in teaching London O/Level and A/Level Art and Design, and is the only acknowledged centre for Pearson-Edexcel and Cambridge examinations for Art and Design in Sri Lanka. The art school has gained recognition and a vibrant image for the passion with which young children are nurtured, trained and developed in the arts, from the ages of 4 to pre-teens. Further to this, the SSA also specialises in providing art education to specially-abled children, with a focus on supporting their growth, development and ability to integrate socially. 

The art school is excited to introduce a novel concept by reimagining how its space can be used to engage with art and artists, not only from Sri Lanka, but from across the world. By amalgamating the concept of a gallery space where art is transient, and a museum space, where art is residential, the SSA is launching a gallery-museum for children, youth and travelling artists. The space will house revolving exhibitions while being home to a collection of curated works of art created and presented by artists both from the school, as well as externally. 

The SSA is proud to have launched this ground-breaking initiative on 27 August with the exhibition ‘Remembering Frida Kahlo’; a conversation that explores resilience, perseverance and creating something beautiful out of hardship. 

The exhibition celebrates a woman artist that never gave up her passion for her art, despite the hardships she endured. The space welcomes children and parents to peruse through a collection of curated work created by the students of the SSA. The exhibition will remain open for the next two months, with a particular focus on Frida Kahlo during the week following the exhibition. The space will remain open for viewing between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. throughout the week.