Pieces of Our Dream

The upcoming exhibition, Pieces of Our Dream, is a collaborative project that focuses on the aspirations of young talent, and how they hope to find a voice in the art world.

Exhibition Dates

Friday 1 November – Thursday 14 November: 09:00 – 23:00

Pieces of Our Dream, an exhibition of collage-based works, is an empowering initiative that gives young, disadvantaged artists a platform to showcase their skills at an acclaimed gallery.

Conceived by Ojiji, and facilitated by the Little Artists School, this collaborative, youth-centric project brings collective optimism and real-world stories to Trumpet, Keyes Art Mile, from the 1st to the 14th of November.

The project is already underway at the Little Artists School in Braamfontein, where 25 kids started to imagine their futures, and are now bringing their hopes to life as artworks.

“We want our children to embrace the power of their dreams,” says Di Richards, founder of Ojiji. “But we also want them
to take ownership, and believe that they can shape their own tomorrow.”

Richards’ ideals align with those of Edward Selematsela, a fine artist and founder of the Little Artists School. “I started
the school almost three decades ago,” he says.

“I wanted to show kids that art is an empowering alternative that instils self-worth and belief in their unique talents.”

For this exhibition, the children are being led by a group of established artists who guide them through a series of classes, conversations and creative processes. It involves interrogating their ideas, journaling, swapping stories and working together to bring out the best in one another.

All this is not necessarily new to them, but this exhibition marks their first showing at an established gallery. “While our kids have held a few of their own exhibitions before, Pieces of Our Dream exposes
them to the processes that professional artists experience,” continues Richards.

“My hope is that, through all this, they will have the confidence to envisage an achievable place for themselves in the
art world.”

The exhibition will be a mix of stories, discoveries, aspirations and achievements, featuring multiple works by the children, and companion pieces from their mentor artists.

For the art lover, it offers a glimpse into the minds of some truly exceptional talent while asking them to recognise these
dreams, and consider how to collectively contribute to their actualisation.

As Ojiji’s inaugural project, Pieces of Our Dream is the first step to empowering and encouraging young artists through
meaningful platforms that give them the agency to shape their futures.

For more information or potential media coverage, please contact Diana Richards [email protected]

Summary

Pieces of Our Dream, an exhibition conceived by Ojiji and facilitated by the Little Artists School, is a collaborative, youth-centric project that brings collective optimism and real-world stories to The Trumpet, Keyes Art Mile, opening on the 31st of October.

For this initiative, 25 kids were asked to express their future hopes as collage-based artworks, before being guided through a creative process by established artists.

The exhibition will be a mix of stories, discoveries, aspirations and achievements, featuring multiple works by the children, and companion pieces from their mentor artists. Through all this, these children hope to find a voice in the established art world.

Written by: Natasha

Pieces of Our Dream