Children’s Museum displays young artists’ work after pandemic postponement
Detail of a painting by Ishi Gupta, one of many that the young artist has on cisplay at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
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Anvi Gupta is excited about her artwork.
Selva Priya stands below her contribution to the "Face Value" exhibit at MuseumLab.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Ishaan Sankaran with some of his artwork
Ishi Gupta, 12, shows examples of her work.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
From left are Selva Priya’s daughters, Oviya and Kavya Yuvaraj, with their artwork.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Shree Bhanushali shows her depiction of Pittsburgh.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Kavin Srikanth poses with his multicolored cat.
Reeva Singla has a message of kindness.
Dozens of young artists were looking forward to having their work displayed at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
Opening day for their exhibit was scheduled for March 14, 2020.
The museum closed March 13, not to reopen for 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fortunately for 65 or so students of South Fayette art teacher Selva Priya, their creations finally are in place for public viewing.
The opening reception took place July 3 for the three-week exhibit, with the museum providing plenty of food and beverages for the event. The artwork is in the former theater area on the ground floor.
“We’re very excited to have this exhibit here, to showcase students and their work,” creative arts manager Cat Burton said. “Bringing in new perspectives to the museum and showing off different forms of art is something that we’re very interested in doing.”
On display are hundreds of paintings, drawings and three-dimensional pieces, many of which share a common subject.
“I told them to provide kindness-themed artwork,” Priya said, reinforcing a value she especially likes to teach her students.
One of Priya’s own works is on display in an exhibit at MuseumLab, the Children’s Museum’s center for experiences in art, tech and making. “Face Value” features 25 portraits in a variety of styles by Pittsburgh-area artists, and Priya’s painting of a girl and her puppy is among those selected for the honor.
“That is a gift for her 16th birthday from her mom,” she said about the portrait, which she has borrowed from the family. “They were kind enough to provide the artwork for display at the museum.”
As far as teaching, Priya provided virtual instruction until being able to welcome students back to her studio. Because she was able to reach students from other states, including one from Canada, Priya continues to offer lessons online along with in-person.
“I didn’t want to close that door,” she said. “I wanted to continue to do virtual for those kids.”
At MuseumLab, located next door to the Children’s Museum in Pittsburgh’s North Side, “Face Value” continues through January. That exhibit will be followed by the fashion-themed exhibit “How You Wear It.”
For more information, visit pittsburghkids.org and www.museumlab.org.