A 10-year-old is asked to draw a picture of his family. He creates a picture of a desolate field, void of people, and describes the grass as brown and dead. He goes on to identify his family as the tree in the middle of the field.

It doesn’t take long to see that the tree is healthy, colorful and bears ripe fruit. This child’s family is his oasis.

There are two groups in Kitsap County that are active in awakening and eliciting students’ self-expression through art: The Picture Project and PhotoVoice.

The Picture Project

In 2002, local artist Fred Nicholson was displaying his second collection of art at the Jewel Box Theatre Gallery in Poulsbo. The 300 pictures in this collection were drawn by local artists, all of them children from Kitsap County school districts and ranging in age from 9 to 14. Inspiration for the drawings came from Nicholson’s conversations with these students, when he challenged them to discuss then draw the theme: “Peace Looks Like This.” Nicholson’s first project, “My Family,” had such an impact on students, teachers and parents that he was asked to return with this new topic.

Bainbridge photographer and filmmaker Steve Stolee was so moved by the “Peace” pictures that he approached Nicholson as a potential collaborator. Together, with a third partner Mary Granfors, they formed The Picture Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to students’ expressions of universal themes.

“Our mission is to encourage multigenerational dialogue about big ideas, as well as to inspire children to use artistic expression to develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills,” Nicholson explained.

Students and teachers engage in dialogue on the selected topic. After a couple of days, students produce artwork inspired by this interaction as well as by their unique viewpoints and personal beliefs.

Stolee and Nicholson return to the classrooms, this time with a movie camera, filming students while they describe their drawings and the meaning behind them. The Picture Project has produced three films so far: “Peace Looks Like This,” “My World of White, Black and Color,” and “This Is My Family.” Drawings collected by The Picture Project were recently displayed in all nine branches of the Kitsap Regional Library, accompanied by workshops conducted by Stolee and Nicholson.

Stolee said the libraries are perfect partners. “We can connect the classroom to the greater community via the libraries and the films we’ve produced. It takes an insightful work of art off the home refrigerator and into the public domain.”

PhotoVoice

While The Picture Project essentially creates an expression of internal feelings, PhotoVoice starts outdoors and works inward. Students from 10 to 18 years old are given cameras and an assignment: to photograph places, people, things in their community that have particular meaning to them. The pictures are then printed and discussed, and some are selected to be displayed with captions.

PhotoVoice was started in 1992 by Caroline C. Wang, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Mary Ann Burris, according to the PhotoVoice Web site. The project was originally created to enable women living in the remote countryside of Yunnan Province, China, to successfully influence the policies and programs that affected them.

Now PhotoVoice is active locally in Suquamish. Suquamish PhotoVoice 2008 is a partnership between Suquamish Elementary and Suquamish Citizens Advisory Coucil. The SCAC subcommittee for youth and seniors is chaired by Frances Malone who writes that the project “is intended to empower local youth and give them a voice in our community through photography.”

SCAC engaged Pam Thresher to manage the project.

“I see the pride that emerges from the kids’ perspectives of their surroundings,” Thresher said.

Over 30 volunteers are engaged in working with PhotoVoice participants, including professional photographers and journalists. Students are given instructions on the use of equipment; general themes are discussed such as “The Changing Community” or “Awareness of Nature” then the students are free to travel through Suquamish, taking pictures with the day’s theme in mind.

PhotoVoice received funding from the Suquamish Tribe and Port Madison Enterprises. Digital cameras purchased and used for this project will be donated to Suquamish Elementary School where they will be available for use by students, teachers and local residents.

“The exhibit is an opportunity for too-often silent voices to be heard,” Malone said. “The growth and cultural resurgence occurring in the Port Madison Reservation will have a tremendous impact on all its residents. The project provides a forum to share the perspectives of both tribal and non-tribal youth of Suquamish with residents of all ages, community leaders and key decision makers.”

The culmination of the project was a public exhibit April 13 at Suquamish Clearwater Resort. The exhibit is on display at Bella Luna Pizza in Suquamish through June 1 then will move to the Norm Dicks Goverment Center, Bremerton, through June.; Kitsap Mall, Silverdale, July 1-31; Poulsbo library, Aug. 1-31; Frame Station, Suquamish, Sept. 1-28; Kitsap County administration building, Port Orchard, Oc. 1-31; Bainbridge library, Nov. 1-30; Suquamish Tribal Youth Center, Dec. 1-31.

For more information on PhotoVoice, visit www.photovoice.com and www.photovoice.org. Contact Frances Malone at fmalone56@embarqmail.com. Details on The Picture Project can be found at www.thepictureproject.org.