Have you ever seen children’s art in museums or in galleries? I’d take a gander that the answer is no. Children’s art is oftentimes viewed as cheap, worthless, and easy to recreate when it is everything but. Never have we questioned why we view art as an activity that only adults pioneer when some of the best and brightest creatives are children. Perhaps the art world may feature a child’s art if they consider them a prodigy, but my focus isn’t on that. The art you created as a child should be viewed equally as valuable as the art you create as an adult.
Art is a celebration of the creativity we espouse and what better way to celebrate that than to include children’s art in the scope of what we consider valuable. Children are not burdened by the idea of what society considers to be “good art” and can therefore create whatever they want. Their childhood is filled with make-believe and imagination, so they don’t feel bothered to conform to society. No matter their subject, children often make the ordinary appear whimsical and fun with their unique techniques. Many famous artists have recognized the complete, unadulterated freedom that children have in their works, and some, such as Picasso, have been inspired by it. Children are self-taught artists who have astounding progression in their skills from ages 3 to 12 and so on. As they discover how to utilize colors, shapes, perspective, and dimensions, it is easy to see their rapid progression and how they view the world.
Maybe it’s about time that we stop viewing creative expression as purely professional and transition to a state where we can appreciate the varying perspectives from all ages in all media. Hopefully, we’ll be able to walk into a gallery and celebrate the art from kids everywhere.
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