Exhibition Opens “War Toys: Ukraine”

EXHIBITION OPENS War Toys: Ukraine AT THE ART MUSEUM OF SOUTH TEXAS

War Toys: Ukraine to remain on view through August 11, 2024.

Corpus Christi, TX: The Art Museum of South Texas (AMST) welcomes temporary exhibition, War Toys: Ukraine from June 16 through August 11.
Every two years, the education department at AMST organizes an exhibition. War Toys: Ukraine makes its way to AMST thanks to ExhibitsUSA a traveling exhibition program managed by Mid-America Arts Alliance, a nonprofit regional arts organization based in Kansas City, Missouri.

“This exhibit is an arresting example of how art can serve as therapy for children living through the horrors of war. Their drawings, in bright happy colors, are such a juxtaposition to the subject matter. It gives us, those who are outside looking in, an insider’s view of how life goes on even in the worst of times for these young people,” explains Linda Rodriguez, Curator of Education.

According to ExhibitsUSA, since 2011, internationally recognized photographer Brian McCarty has been collaborating with children affected by conflict on a unique project titled War Toys. The project invokes principles and practices of expressive art therapy to safely gather and articulate children’s accounts of warfare. Under the guidance of a specialized therapist and working through NGOs and UN agencies, boys and girls become art directors for narrative photos of locally sourced toys.

McCarty explains “The inherent desire to create – whether on paper or in scenarios with toys – is universal to us all. For this reason, play is an invaluable tool for communication. Children learn how to process complicated feelings through a playful filter and explore tough questions in a language that is easier for them to understand.”

War Toys: Ukraine presents universally understood accounts of this conflict while drawing attention to the individual children and communities who have been affected by armed conflict.

Learn more by visiting our exhibitions page.

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About The Artist
Brian McCarty is an artist and toy industry veteran whose postmodern integration of concept and character has earned his photography a prominent position in the Art-Toy and Pop Surrealist movements. Yet, McCarty’s work is often more akin to reportage than photo-illustration. His approach is grounded in documenting actual—albeit manufactured—moments of time from a uniquely personal perspective.

“By bearing witness through his artwork, McCarty provides the opportunity for otherwise silenced voices to be heard,” says Dr. Julia J.A.G. Byers, Professor of Art Therapy at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. “He asks us all to reflect on the innocence of childhood when it is surrounded and thwarted by human suffering. He asks us not to deny its existence but, rather, to question how to play—with resolve and resilience—in the face of such reality.”
About War Toys, the not-for-profit
In 2019, Brian McCarty founded the War Toys nonprofit organization. Seeing firsthand the severe effects of displacement and war-related trauma on these children, Brian assembled a team of directors, advisors, and officers that includes experts in expressive therapy, childhood development, human rights, advocacy, and toy design & manufacturing. Together, they are continuing the advocacy work of the photo series while developing new programs and forging alliances that will positively impact the lives of children around the world. Their mission is to catalyze a global cultural shift around war, through intentional and accessible methods of expressive war play, in order to build a lasting condition of peace for future generations. As a result, their programs encourage war play in intentional and supported ways, in order to imagine what a condition of permanent, lasting peace could look like for our children and us all.

About the Art Museum of South Texas
The Art Museum of South Texas is a vibrant cultural institution dedicated to enriching the lives of the residents and visitors of Corpus Christi and the South Texas region through the presentation of visual art. The Art Museum of South Texas advances awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of visual art by presenting exciting exhibitions, offering dynamic education programs, and actively collecting and preserving a vital permanent collection that educates all communities.

This exhibition is supported in part by:
TAMU-CC
Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA)
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
City of Corpus Christi
ExhibitsUSA
Mid-America Arts Alliance

Affiliated with:
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
American Alliance of Museums
Museums for All

Media Contact
Marketing Coordinator, Alexis De León 361-825-3512 email alexis.deleon1@tamucc.edu

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