If you happen to visit Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta, take your time to climb up to its south lobby’s main atrium on the third floor. You will find Krayon Kami Karya Kami (our crayon, our artwork), an art exhibition for charity for children in need in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.

Resulting from a collaboration between Jakarta-based Kelas Gambar art community and Rumah Faye non-profit organization, the exhibition is open to the public from Feb. 23 to March 3.

Krayon Kami Karya Kami displays around 40 artworks from 10 children who mostly spend their time below Kampung Melayu flyover. Prior to the exhibition they participated in an intensive workshop for three months, gaining valuable experience apart from merely drawing.

Photos of children from Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, who joined a three-month intensive workshop prior to the 'Krayon Kami Karya Kami' exhibition. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

Teddy Afif, co-founder of Kelas Gambar, which provides free art classes for children, said a number of children had gained more confidence after taking part in the workshop.

“They used to be too shy to talk in public, but we convinced them that feeling confident would be beneficial for them in the long run. I was delighted when finally they introduced themselves with confidence to the public at a press conference [on Saturday],” said Teddy to The Jakarta Post on Monday in Central Jakarta.

“I’m proud that finally they understand that every child has the same right to state their opinion.”

Galih Sakti, another co-founder of Kelas Gambar, said there was a child who was shy and reserved. “One day her mother told me that she began to talk and express herself in front of her family after taking part in the workshop,” said Galih.

One of the underrated yet crucial rules for participants during the workshop is that they must finish their drawings. “We also taught them to begin [their drawing] with confidence and avoid mocking each other’s drawings. […] For me, it’s important for them to realize that it takes effort to create something,” Galih said.

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Drawings by M. Faris Maulana, 10, a participant of the 'Krayon Kami Karya Kami' exhibition on Monday, February 25, 2019 at Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

As the name of the event suggests, all the children had to use crayons when drawing. Galih explained that crayons were able to reduce anxiety in drawing. “What often stops people from drawing even before they begin is anxiety. Sometimes when I encourage people to draw, they say, ‘I cannot do it, I’m not good at this’,” he said.

Compared to colored pencils, crayons have a thicker tip that can stop children from focusing too much on their mistakes. Colored pencils make their mistakes more visible, while crayons are able to turn their flaws into something artistic. “We once taught children using colored pencils, and they seemed to be afraid – they were hesitant to draw a line,” said Galih, adding that they also did not allow children to erase their mistakes.

The 10 children whose artworks were exhibited, fortunately, have been sent to school and some of them have even graduated high school. The proceeds from the exhibition will therefore go toward financing their further education.

“[…] To be specific, we’d like to collaborate with schools to give them scholarships – it doesn’t always have to be art school,” said Galih.

Artwork by Cici Oktaviani, 10, one of the children who took part in the 'Krayon Kami Karya Kami' exhibition on Monday, February 25, 2019 at Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

Both Teddy and Galih also hope the exhibition can encourage other children to draw. “Honestly, we don’t set a target for the donations, but we are already happy to see other children become inspired [by our exhibition],” said Teddy.

Aside from traveling across Indonesia to teach art, they also plan to visit elementary and junior high schools in Jakarta to see how the teachers appreciate art and encourage their students to create artwork. “We’d like to increase awareness about the benefits of art in our lives. Science is important as well, but art is there to balance it out,” said Galih, adding that they hoped the students would be able to donate drawing tools for children in need. (mut)