Artist holds workshop for underprivileged children
Aged eight to 16, they come from the Singapore Children’s Society. Their teacher for the day, artist Parvathi Nayar, placed various objects like flowers and vases in the middle of a bright, airy room, asked them to walk around the table, then pick a spot and draw anything that they liked. One of the children proved marvellously talented, sketching in detail the petals and leaves of two bright sunflowers, with glasses standing in the background. The rest, like most kids, soon got restless and started drawing dragons and mice. It was a little difficult to teach the group because they were of different ages and not all at the same level, Ms Nayar explained. But as long as the kids had fun, the workshop was successful, she said.
An artist and a senior arts writer for The Business Times, Ms Nayar conducted the workshop in conjunction with her current exhibition, drawing is a verb: an installation, currently on display at the Arts House. The art – pencil-drawn replicas of photographs of microscopic cells or planet surfaces that scientists observe through their various optical instruments – is on auction, with part of the proceeds to be donated to BT’s Budding Artists Fund. The workshop was organised by OCBC Bank, which adopted the Children’s Society in 2004 and is also sponsor of Ms Nayar’s exhibition. ‘We are happy that Parvathi’s art work will be used to help artistically talented but underprivileged children. This is very much in line with OCBC’s corporate social responsibility programme, which is centred on helping children and young people realise their potential,’ said Koh Ching Ching, OCBC’s head of group corporate communications.