The entire exhibition will be available for public viewing during Art Miami, 2011 from November 30-December 4, 2011.
The Miami Children’s Museum has come aboard the Ship of Tolerance Project, by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, providing coordination of all participating children, a forum for discussion about the universal theme of Tolerance and production assistance for all of the children’s artwork to be used on the project.
Currently in its fifth edition since 2005, the Ship of Tolerance was previously produced in Siwa, Egypt; Venice, Italy; St. Moritz, Switzerland and Sharjah, UAE. The Miami edition will be the first time that the project is realized in North America.
A non-profit children’s project, the Ship of Tolerance is the brainchild of artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov who are Russian-born, American-based artists. The project gives a platform to local children between the ages of 6 and 13, to explore the universal theme of Tolerance.
Miami Children’s Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island in Miami, will serve as the prime location for children to learn about the project and design and create their contributions. The Museum has long been a clearing house to explore issues of cultural diversity, racism, and understanding and has even designed one of their permanent exhibits as a constant example of learning acceptance.
MCM’s Teddy Bear and Me Exhibit uses the universal theme of teddy bears to show how the clothing and culture may be different, but underneath they are still all teddy bears. It deals with objectives in teaching ways in which all people are alike and different; how we relate to one another; and other issues of prejudice, words that hurt, showing respect and positive examples of how to resolve a conflict situation.
At MCM, after discussing this Ship of Tolerance theme as a group, individual children have been painting their own interpretation of Tolerance onto a large piece of canvas of uniform size. Approximately 150 of these canvas paintings are to be later hoisted onto the mast of an approximately 60 ft ship, which will be constructed on site at the Art Miami 2011 art fair. The entire exhibition will be available for public viewing during Art Miami, 2011 from November 30-December 4, 2011. The remaining paintings will be on exhibit in venues throughout the city during the first week of December.
Upon the completion of Art Miami 2011, the Ship of Tolerance is expected to move to the Miami Children’s Museum where it will be on exhibit until the end of January, 2012.
The Miami Children’s Museum welcomes the participation of local children in this unique and highly visible children’s art project. Please contact Victor Vincent at the Miami Children’s Museum, (305)373-5437 (KIDS) ext. 103 or go to the website: www.miamichildrensmuseum.org, for more information or to inquire about participation.
For more information on the Kabakovs or the Ship of Tolerance project, please contact Murdock MacKenzie at Wolfgang Roth & Partners, Fine Art.