New York, September 1, 2013) The Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Foundation, in a joint collaboration with Studio in a School, will present The Ship of Tolerance, in Brooklyn Bridge Park on September 27, 2013 as part of the 17th annual DUMBO Arts Festival. The work will remain on view on the Brooklyn waterfront until October 6th.
The Ship of Tolerance is a globally celebrated project dedicated to educating and connecting children from different continents, cultures, and identities through the universal language of art. It successfully first launched in Siwa, Egypt in 2005 and was then created in Venice, Italy; San Moritz, Switzerland; Sharjah, UAE; Miami, FL; and Havana, Cuba. The Ship of Tolerance will also premier in Moscow in early September. This project was awarded the prestigious Cartier Prize for the best art project of the year in 2010.
“We are thrilled to work with Brooklyn Bridge Park and include The Ship of Tolerance at this year’s festival, to highlight the importance of the Kabakovs’ message and bring this very special project to the Brooklyn waterfront,” said Lisa Kim, Director of the DUMBO Arts Festival.
Under the direction of the Kabakovs and project director, Yulia Dultsina, the Studio in a School art instructors led workshops for hundreds of students, ages 5 through 13, in public schools throughout the five boroughs. By July, more than 500 children will have made paintings expressing their interpretations of tolerance. An additional 100 paintings will be created in drawing sessions in city parks on Staten Island and Brooklyn hosted by Studio in a School and The Noble Maritime Collection. A selection of 150 student paintings will be sewn together to create the sail for The Ship of Tolerance. The remaining paintings will be on display throughout the city.
“Children understand tolerance amazingly well. They are mostly unspoiled by the prejudice often carried by the adults. If we listen to them, perhaps, we can alleviate some of the oppression we witness everyday,” commented Emilia and Ilya Kabakov.
Agnes Gund, founder of Studio in a School, states, “Sharing one’s ideas and creations with others is an important part of the creative process, and it is a core value at Studio in a School. Children from 18 Studio sites loved making sails and learning about diversity in the process.”