‘A Great Pipe Dream’ makes good in New York City
14 January 2003
From the Christchurch Botanic Gardens playground to the bright
lights of New York City – it’s a great pipe dream for
some young Canterbury artists.
Eight sculptures from last year’s TV2 KidsFest ‘ The
Great Pipe Dream’ exhibition in the Botanic Gardens are now
on display at the Cork Gallery, New York as part of an international
display of children’s recycled creations.
The decision to send the plastic piping artworks to New York came
after ‘The Great Pipe Dream’ organiser, Henry Sunderland
discovered ‘Pipe Dreams’, a similar project at the Paul
Robeson School, New Jersey via the internet.
Following Henry’s contact with the organisers, the Visual
Arts League of East Brunswick, New Jersey invited the KidsFest exhibits
to the exhibition in New York’s prestigious Lincoln Centre.
Artists and children from Russia, Hungary, Japan, France and various
parts of the United States have also contributed to the event.
Christchurch’s botanically inspired creations were made by
children from Allenvale School, Shirley Intermediate, Marian College,
Linwood Intermediate, Christchurch South Intermediate, Casebrook
Intermediate and a St Bede’s College student, Tom Baker.
When the exhibition closes on January 20, the Christchurch pieces
will tour other galleries and schools on the United States eastern
seaboard. They will eventually be donated to schools in the area.
Henry Sunderland, a trustee of the KidsFest Charitable Trust says
Christchurch’s involvement in the New York exhibition illustrates
the high quality of the TV2 KidsFest events, held every winter school
holidays in Christchurch.
“ ‘The Great Pipe Dream’ was also a fun, safe and
educational project for Christchurch children and something they
could all be involved in making or visiting.”
Children from 22 Canterbury schools were originally invited to
create artworks for ‘The Great Pipe Dream’, using recycled
pipes supplied by local company Connetics. Thirty artworks were
produced.
Jim Anderton, who opened the Christchurch exhibition said taking
eight of the sculptures overseas “would provide excellent opportunities
for New Zealand children and their families to develop ties with
United States children, their families and their schools”.
He says he sees it is a valuable link in maintaining harmonious
international relationships between communities.
This year, TV2 KidsFest organisers will be inviting school children
to use recycled materials to make smaller scale flowers and plants
to be displayed in a specially made garden in the Christchurch Botanic
Gardens playground.
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