When asked what kind of pictures she likes to paint, 10-year-old Ntozake Morgan turned her eyes upward in thought, and shrugged.
"Scary pictures, peaceful pictures, joyful pictures, my neighborhood," she said. "Harlem."
Ntozake may as well have spoken for all the children who participate in the Harlem Horizon Art Studio. The children were guests in Low Rotunda Feb. 6 for the celebration of the art program's seventh annual exhibition.
For the evening, the Rotunda was home to a gallery reception, with a catered meal, violin music and the artists being congratulated for their work, which hung in lit display cases.
King Range, a 9-year-old artist in a wheelchair, took the stage and thanked everyone.
"I love all you people," he said.
Through their paintings, the children are able to express their emotions and make sense of their world.
At the celebration dinner, Columbia's Vice President for Public Affairs Alan J. Stone said: "Art has the power to heal. Art can transform us, and it can especially transform young people at a time in their lives when self-expression is so vital."
Stone looked around, at the grand scale of the Rotunda and the children's paintings on display, and asked the audience to take note of "all the beautiful things that people can create if they have the tools and the chance."
The Harlem Horizon Art Studio is giving hundreds of children that chance. The program is an outgrowth of Harlem Hospital's Injury Prevention Program in the Division of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, established in 1989 by Barbara Barlow, chief of pediatric surgery; Ellen Giesow, Columbia Affiliation Office-Harlem Hospital; and Susan Weeks, pediatric trauma center.
The art studio is located in Harlem Hospital to help patients heal and recover motor skills through painting. But the studio is also open to children in the neighborhood, to encourage them to direct their energy in positive ways. For more than one thousand children, the program has worked.
"I started painting because this is what I do best," said Victor Dotson, who just turned 16. "And I wanted to express something to other people."
Victor stood in the Rotunda next to his painting: a representation of a man with many tiny human figures swirling around him. "It means that everyone can have a soul in their life." He pointed to the figures in his painting. "These little people are souls."
Victor's poise belies an unsettled life, where his home has been disrupted by eviction. His story is not unusual. To underscore the accomplishments of the young artists, Kellis Parker, Columbia professor of law, told the audience: "I am here to remind you that we are climbing Jacob's Ladder. These young people have captured history and spirituality in climbing Jacob's Ladder. In looking at these paintings, you can see that they are climbing to the sky."
The exhibition of paintings will be on display at in the Rotunda through March 1. Many are for sale.
Columbia University Record -- February 23, 1996 -- Vol. 21, No. 17