For 21 years the Alwun House has been home to Salon Des Enfants, a weeklong art exhibit dedicated to showing the work of gifted children from Phoenix Elementary School District #1.
“As an art space we want the community to engage in supporting the arts,” Alwun House founder Kim Moody said. “These kids deserve that kind of boost. Nothing is more rewarding than showing your family where you exhibited your artwork. They’ll remember that the rest of their lives. It builds a sense of community.”
The name, Salon Des Enfants, is French. The name gives prominence and adds weight to the meaning of the gallery, Moody said. “Salon” refers to how art was traditionally displayed in art galleries, where rooms were filled from floor to ceiling with artwork.
The walls of the Alwun House became home to 300 pieces of children’s art, including sculptures, ceramics, photography and paintings. Every work of art sells for $20 and all of the proceeds go to the child artist.
John Avedisian, the art department chair for Phoenix Elementary School District #1, was interested in the kids having their art displayed outside of school.
“Salon Des Enfants started with a desire to show the work of students from all of our schools at once,” Avedisian said. “We needed a large venue to accommodate a large quantity of artwork.”
Avedisian had previously shown his own work at the Alwun House and knew Moody as a fellow artist. He thought the Alwun House would be a perfect space to hold an exhibit.
Students in the fifth through eighth grades created all of the art. The selection process was based on artistic merit, Avedisian said. During the school year, 18 of the district’s art teachers examined hundreds of art pieces that were completed in their art classes. The teachers narrowed their selections down to 15-20 pieces of art.
“It’s just amazing how much talent these students have,” district spokesperson Sara Bresnahan said. “It’s an honor to see their work. This is a great display of the district’s art program.”
In the past 21 years, Avedisian said the show has gained more attention. The opening day crowds have gotten bigger and now include performances from the choirs, bands, dance troupes and other student talent groups from the district’s schools. One year, the students painted live on the Alwun House lawn in appreciation of Jackson Pollock, who was an alumnus of Phoenix Elementary School District #1. Two of the paintings are now in the Phoenix Children’s Museum’s collection.
The children have also gained a deeper understanding of art by collaborating with other art students around the world. They’ve worked with children from Kobe, Japan, and exchanged photographs with children living in the Peruvian Amazon. Some of those photos from Peru are featured in Salon Des Enfants.
Avedisian continues to expand and add new ideas to Salon Des Enfants. He said he believes the arts are very important in education, and the sense of accomplishment that students feel when they see their artwork displayed professionally for the public to see and purchase is essential.
“We want the public to see the extremely high quality work produced by our students and the dedication of our fine arts teachers,” Avedisian said. “I think that is something we are proud to have brought into the public eye.”
Salon Des Enfants opened last week on First Friday and received a lot of attention. Now Moody encourages more people to visit on the last day, this Friday.
“Get down here; this is your chance to catch it,” he said.
The exhibit is open from noon to 6 p.m. at the Alwun House, located at 12th and Roosevelt streets.
Contact the reporter at allyson.gerrard@asu.edu.
