Kids from Sacred Heart School in Eureka

Local kids contribute to
traveling peace project

Artwork by St. Louis area kids is included in a traveling peace project display. The project is due to be shown as far away as the Republic of Uzbekistan near Russia.

The Peace Project is the idea of Lloyd Kleine Harvey. He's director of Art From Recycled Materials, with a studio in the downtown City Museum.

The Peace Project is a collection of creative works made primarily of recycled materials. The kids' artwork is getting equal billing with adult artists in the traveling exhibit. It will be shown in several cities in the U.S. and in other places in St. Louis.

But, one of its longest trips will be to the International Museum of Peace and Solidarity in Uzbekistan. Americans are becoming familiar with that part of the world because of the war in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan is next to Afghanistan to the north.

Harvey's project is in sharp contrast with the fighting in that part of the world.

The Peace Project features original "images of peace" by many individuals interested in promoting world peace.

Much of the children's artwork comes from workshops conducted by Harvey to show how art can be made from recycled materials.

Wall hanging from St. Louis County Detention Center in Clayton

For instance, one of the project displays involves paintings by students at Warren G. Harding Elementary School in East St. Louis, Ill. Each student was asked to paint panels that told what peace meant to them.

A wall hanging was made, featuring a number of individual panels. That hanging gets equal play in the exhibit with works of adult artists.

Harvey said he also asked the East St. Louis kids to say what peace meant to them. One of them said, "Peace is when you don't have fights on the playground." Another added, "Peace is when there are no more shootings in the neighborhood."

Wall hanging from Father Dunne's Newsboys Home in Florissant

Another piece of kids' artwork in the Peace Project is from Wyland Elementary School in the Ritenour District. Other images are from Father Dunne's Newsboys Home in Florissant and the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center in Clayton.

Also represented is a wall hanging from Sacred Heart School in Eureka.

Another piece is from the LaClede Pre-School and Kindergarten in Clayton.

In addition to the kids work, adult peace artists were recruited from as far away as Mexico and Germany. Two St. Louis adult artists included are Patrick Ritchey and Laura Braun.

One of the displays in the Peace Project has been done by Harvey himself. He's an artist who studied at schools such as the Art Institute in Chicago and the Parson's School of Design in New York.

His display shows how Harvey's interest in art from recycled materials comes together with his emphasis on peace.

Several years ago, a friend from The Mac Store asked Harvey if he had any use for the plastic shells that formerly housed MacIntosh computers. Harvey said, "At that time, I was saying 'yes' to everything."

He ended up with about 100 empty plastic computer boxes.

In the Peace Project display, some of those plastic computer shells are piled on each other to represent the World Trade Center towers. Those were the buildings destroyed in the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001.

Inside some boxes are reproductions of artist Jasper Johns' famous 48-star American flag. In the others will be names of the those killed in the terrorist attack.

This is Harvey's peace memorial to the thousands who lost their lives last Sept. 11.

Harvey has presented his recycled art workshops to a variety of young audiences. He goes to both public and private schools. And also to some unusual places.

Ten-year-old Shelby Buggage from Wyland School

Ten-year-old Michael Andrade of Wyland

Eleven-year-old Kimberly Van of Wyland

The trip to the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center in Clayton is an example of a tough audience. But, he said, "When young people in detention facilities are treated with respect they're able to respond creatively and spontaneously."

He added, "I have high expectations, no matter what audience I'm working with. My focus is the same in a detention center or a well-to-do school."

The kids in the detention center also contributed to the Peace Project.

For more information about the Peace Project and Art From Recycled Materials, Harvey has a studio on the third floor of the City Museum at 701 N. Fifteenth St., St. Louis, MO 63103. He also can be contact by phone at (314) 231-2489, Ext. 121. His e-mail address is lhkleine@aol.com