« MARCH FOR PARKS»

A CHILDREN'S ART EXHIBITION: THE WORLD OF LIVING NATURE

“Everything drawn by these children is unique, exceptional, amusing, splendid.
Their pictures contain the genuine emotions and vision that many adults and authorities lack.”
A Russian State Duma deputy

On April 17-22, 2000, a children’s art exhibition called The World of Living Nature was held. The exhibition was organized by the Biodiversity Conservation Center and the State Duma Ecology Committee within the framework of the March for Park 2002 campaign. The exhibition displayed the 20 best pictures from nature reserves and national parks sent to the International March for Parks Contest. This contest has been sponsored since 1995 annually by the Biodiversity Conservation Center.

Over the years thousands of works from nature reserves and national parks, big cities, towns and villages all over Russia and from abroad have been sent to the contest committee. They range from nearly professional paintings to naive and touching works by the youngest entrants. All of these artworks are by children who know nature at first hand, who converse with nature every day. The World of Living Nature through the eyes of children reveals the poetry and the beauty of our planet Earth.

We are extremely happy that, despite all the difficulties, we have received artwork from children in such remote nature reserves as Big Arctic and Vitimsky. We are also glad that increased postage rates and slow mails have not prevented children in Ukraine, Mongolia and Tajikistan from entering these yearly contests.

The best artwork has been displayed at the Russian State Duma. Some drawings and paintings have been selected for publication in Svirel (The Reed Pipe), an ecological journal for children, and as illustrations for an ecology encyclopedia.

In 2000, over 970 works from 30 nature reserves and national parks were considered. Professional judges chose the winners in the World of Living Nature Contest. The winners will be sent publications from The World of Living Nature series. Our congratulations to them!

Elena Orleneva,
Biodiversity Conservation Center

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