Khrystyna Khlibyshyn. 4.5 years old, Lviv, from the collection of the Lviv Children’s Gallery

From the history of the first Children’s Gallery in Lviv

In 2003, Olha Mykhailiuk founded the Lviv Children’s Gallery, the International Festival “Young Talents Under the Protection of King Danylo,” the International Competition and Forum of Children’s Art “Golden Easel,” the Artclass Publishing House, and the All-Ukrainian Educational and Artistic Magazine “Artclass,” and became its chief and artistic editor.

It was the Lviv Children’s Gallery at 17 (during 2003-2006) Soborna Square where the children of the Mriia Rehabilitation Center had a spiritual and artistic island. Here they enthusiastically created paper art compositions and felt happy in communication with art… And the exhibitions of these children were perceived with tears of joy.

Every year, hundreds of talented children and their teachers, art educators from all regions of Ukraine and the world came to Lviv for creative communication at the International Forum “Golden Easel.” Masterclasses, scientific and practical seminars and conferences, and postgraduate teacher education courses were held here.

In the children’s gallery, on a charitable basis, we organized personal exhibitions of talented children and art teachers who not only demonstrated their abilities but also developed and enriched themselves spiritually in creative communication.

• “Charitable Foundation “Lviv Children’s Gallery” ( the Foundation) – the first Children’s Art Gallery in Lviv (now Lviv Municipal Children’s Gallery), which was founded on March 31, 2003 as an exhibition and presentation center, and since 2006, as a result of the active cooperation of the Foundation in partnership with state and private institutions, museums, art galleries, cultural and educational and art academies, schools, lyceums, educational and aesthetic complexes.
• The following new spatial platforms were opened at the base:
• The first Children’s Gallery “Golden Easel” under the open sky on the square of St. George’s Cathedral in Lviv is unique (the only one inin the world), in the form of a monumental painting on canvas (length 100 and height 1.50), created alive by participants in events organized by the Foundation (open 2018–2021, see: https://youtu.be/mNrXQmXxlZk). In 2021, this open-air gallery will be supplemented by another one (located on the same St. George’s Square in Lviv), monumental painting on the theme “Three Angels of Ukraine”. The painting, 10 meters long, was created lively by talented children from the East of Ukraine under Pavlo Shachak’s leadership, the winner of the Golden Easel Grand Prix, currently a young artist and a successful student of the Lviv National Academy of Arts; Children’s Art Gallery “Golden Easel” in the Lviv Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the territory Stryi’s Park (opened in 2020)
• Children’s gallery “Golden Easel in the East of Ukraine” in the Local History Museum in Stanytsia Luhansk (opened on 16 October 2020). The decoration of this gallery was the exhibition of children’s art “Angels of Peace”, created by children of Ukraine (see vocation: https://youtu.be/uEEUZdPOOhk) Now, due to the occupation of the russian federation, the gallery has ceased to exist. Children’s gallery “The Golden Easel” in Lviv in the premises of the Lviv City Council (opened in 2021)
• Children’s gallery “Golden Easel” in the Lviv Regional Council (opened on August 24, 2021, at 16, Vynychenka Street).
• The second Children’s Gallery “Golden Easel” under the open sky, 90 meters long and 1.50 meters high, created by the children of the war in Ukraine and it was opened from 01.06 to 24.08.22 in the Lviv city center «On the Walls”. Since October 10, 2022, it has been placed for free viewing in the courtyard of the Bernardine Church in Lviv.
• The Foundation is also a unique charitable organization that manages various international, national, regional and local cultural programs that contribute to the creative development of gifted children, children’s and youth art groups and help kids with special needs in the development of abilities and their adaptation to the social and cultural environment. The Foundation supports various cultural and educational programs and projects aimed at the revival of the national cultural heritage and the integration of Ukrainian art in

European and world culture.

The Foundation was founded and has been successfully organizing the International Children’s Forum for twenty years in a row art “Golden easel”. Interesting ideas of experienced specialists in the fields of education, science and culture are demonstrated at Forum events and within the framework of the organization of classes on training courses for educators, scientific and practical seminars, conferences, festivals and they are tested in summer art residencies and pedagogical schools, at art therapy master classes and plein airs organized by the Foundation in Lviv region and in the Carpathians.

With the support of the Foundation, the materials on the creative achievements of talented children and scientific studies of outstanding artists and teachers, catalogues of personal and travelling exhibitions are published on the pages of the magazine “Artklas”.

The organization of the annual International Competition of Children’s Art is a special pride of the Foundation “Golden easel”, which is called the children’s artistic “Oscar”, because the winners of the Competition, creative works which are noted for their original compositional ideas, are annually awarded the Grand Prix “Golden Easel” with precious metal and diamond. The Grand Prix “Golden Easel” is also an award for artists and teachers for their merits in

development of creative abilities of talented children.

The International Children’s Art Competition “Golden Easel” takes place every year in several stages:

1st stage – Correspondence. This is a registration stage that lasts up to three months. Participants fill out the questionnaire, register for vocation: https://artclass.lviv.ua/uk/zolotij-molbert-2022/?contest=upload-photo) and attached photos of creative work.

2nd stage – National vote. It takes place on the website: artclass.lviv.ua and it has been lasting for one month. According to his results the jury determines the participants and laureates, whose lists and diplomas are also published on the website: artclass.lviv.ua. Laureates, who are awarded by the Jury, are invited to participate in the final.

3nd stage – Final. The participants of the final create a composition lively for 4 days in the halls of the Lviv National Museum named after Andrey Sheptytskyi or perform painting on canvas.

4nd stage – Awarding the participants of the final. All finalists and their managers are awarded gold medals and diplomas. The winner of the final is awarded the Golden Easel Grand Prix. The participants who are recognized by the Jury are awarded with tickets to the Art Residence. The awarding ceremony of finalists in the Lviv National

Solomiya Krushelnytska’s Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet can be viewed by:

Based on the results of the Competition, the exhibition is opened annually in the Lviv National Museum named after Andrey Sheptytskyi.

The participants of which are children from all regions of Ukraine and the whole world. And during the year, the Foundation organizes travelling exhibitions of children’s art in the Lviv National Museum named after Andrey Sheptytskyi, Lviv Palace of Arts, Kharkiv Art Museum, Donetsk Art Museum, (now located in Druzhkivka), Museums of books and printing works of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in Ukraine; The local history museum of Stanytsia Luhansk (now annexed by the russian federation) and with partner galleries**.

The Foundation also takes care of talented children (including disabled kids and children with special needs) who are participants of the International Children’s Art Competition “Golden Easel” and opens personal children’s rooms for them: the galleries both in live and in virtual space (see the Children’s Gallery on the website artclass.lviv.ua). They became very bright expositions of personal exhibitions of such participants as:

• Anna Batte, 15 years old, Warka bridge, Republic of Poland. The exhibition of Anna Batte opened in the exhibition of the presentation center in Lviv, and based on its results, a catalog was published in the magazine “Artklas”;
• Marta Overchuk, 12 years old, from the city of Lviv, Ukraine. Created by Marta, a participant of the International Competition “Gold Easel”, several hundred illustrations to H. Sienkevych’s novel “In the desert and jungle” were exhibited at the 52nd
• International book exhibition in Warsaw (Poland) at the Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum;
• Pierre Bosch, 16 years old, a student at the Lycée Paul Surucier in Carhaut in Brittany (France). Pierre’s works were exhibited in the exhibition and presentation center in Lviv and published in the magazine “Artklas”;
• Marta Pelekh, 4.5 years old, from the city of Lviv, Ukraine. The amazing painting on glass by the phenomenally talented Martusia, was presented at the exhibition in the gallery of the Foundation, the catalogue of which was published in the magazine “Artklas”;
• Ksenia Stepas, 14, Kyiv, Ukraine. Her personal exhibition of wonderful illustrations for Fiedler’s book “Canada, what smells of resin”, by the very talented Ksenia, organized by the Foundation at the Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine in Kyiv.
• Maksym Hak, 13, Sambir, Pustomytivskyi district, Lviv region, Ukraine. The personal exhibition of urban Maksym’s landscapes, graphic portraits and abstract compositions were exhibited in the gallery of the Foundation, there is a catalogue.
• Eufraksia Bilinska, 12 years old, Lviv, Ukraine. The graphic language of the children’s art of the talented young Euphrausia impressed with amazing plasticity, which was associated with the ornamentation of Ukrainian folk art;
• Liliya Ryzhuk (handicapped group I), 19, Lviv, Ukraine. Lilia’s work became a scientific material and it was published in the magazine “Artklas” in the section: “Study of mental development of children on the material of children’s drawings”.
• Kateryna Len, 12 years old, a village of Yosypivka, Odesa region, Ukraine (a child with special needs, now with the support of the Foundation, she studies at the Stryi art school in Lviv region). The picturesque landscapes were created by Catherine outdoors in the Carpathians, which was organized by the Foundation, printed in the “Artklas” manual.

Children and young people from 3 to 18 years old are participants in the exhibitions of the International Children’s Art Competition “Golden Easel” from 36 countries of the world. Currently, the Foundation’s collection includes thousands of masterpieces of easel children’s art and dozens monumental paintings. Together with our partners we aspire to open the International Museum of Children’s Art.

With the beginning of the war, most of the participants of the “Golden Easel” International Forum were forced to leave their own homes and leave the occupied territories. Living in different parts of the world and in resettled areas of Ukraine, they did not leave contact with us. We are proud that in a creative communication with us (at art therapy practices and conferences both in the virtual space and at summer plein air events in 2022, which took place in Lviv and were organized by the Foundation lively) our participants were actively united and strengthened themselves in the Spirit. Now all children have a wish to actively participate in the informational struggle with the russian federation for the freedom of Ukraine with its creativity.

The Foundation supported the wishes of children by launching the Peace Relay and renewed the International Children’s Art Competition “Golden easel” under its new name: “Art of children of the war in Ukraine” (see the program:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ar038bJV79V8gLxfTnkJUgO8SSz24i3f/view?usp=share_link

Thousands of children from all over the world and our loyal partners are now joining the Peace Relay: Kherson Art School and its “CREATIVE EDUCATION – ONLINE”, Kharkiv Art Lyceum No. 133, educational and artistic children’s institutions from various regions of Ukraine and various countries of the world.

The Peace Relay was actively supported by our friends, and together with the Foundation and its partners in 2022 mobile exhibitions of children’s art were in Ukraine: the Lviv National Museum named after Andrey Sheptytskyi; the city of Lviv in the open sky Na Valakh; the yard of Bernardine Church; the interior of the St. Andrii’s church , by Vasyliyans priests in Lviv; St. George’s Cathedral in Lviv; Main Cathedral of the UGCC in Kyiv.

Different countries of the world: Czech Republic – Komenskeho Centrum (Preštice); Slovakia – central streets of Bratislava; Bulgaria – Art Gallery of russian Karabiners in the city of Nova Zagora; Norway – the city of Oslo, in the Museum of Children’s Creativity; the United States of Mexico – Agua Blanca House of Culture of Atizapan; Japan – Museum in Memuro, in Tokachi district and Kyodai Jagai Art Museum in Hokkaido; Israel is in itself of the heart of Jerusalem, in the “SKIZZA” gallery; Turkey – the city of Istanbul; Taiwan – Dancewoods Hotels Resorts in

Yilan; Hungary – the city of Berettiunjfal; the USA – Cincinnati Art Museum; Lithuania – on the island of Trakai in recreations of the Trakai History Museum castle; Italy – to the General House of the UGCC and in the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Rome and in other countries of the world.

Nowadays, the children of Ukraine want to be heard. Their art is very sincere and uncompromising, which is why it is so important that their thoughts and intentions for a happy and peaceful life sounded on all continents of our planet, so that more countries would support our glorious Ukraine in its struggle for freedom and the European future.