00:00The scene has been set to give spectators at the Rotunda of the Red House more of a feel of
00:05nature.
00:06People can immerse themselves in the visuals of wildlife surrounded by lush greenery
00:10or the calming blue tones of the oceanic world, all done through art.
00:15The 96 pieces on display by 72 artists capture the theme from reef to rainforests protecting our planet.
00:24For Speaker of the House of Representatives Jagdeo Singh,
00:27it's bigger than just art. It's a united cause overshadowing others which borne divisiveness, such as politics.
00:35Through the lens of creativity and artistic interpretation,
00:40this exhibition invites us to reflect deeply on our relationship with the natural world's beauty,
00:48its fragility, and the consequences of our stewardship and the dire nature of failure.
00:55Indeed, failure may very well spell the end of human nature and existence as we know it.
01:06He underscores prevention of this as a shared responsibility among all of Earth's inhabitants.
01:1213 of the artists are age 18 and under,
01:16signaling from the perspective of the Speaker, hope for the future.
01:19It means that environmental consciousness is being passed to the next generation.
01:27It means that our youth are not only observing the world around them in a passive manner,
01:35they are engaging with it, they are interpreting it,
01:39and most importantly, they are using their voices through art to advocate for its protection and appreciation.
01:47At age 8, Talitha Ferguson is the youngest artist at the exhibition,
01:52with her piece titled, White-tailed Sea Brewing Hummingbird.
01:55How do you feel about that?
01:57I don't know.
02:00What made you, did you paint this yourself?
02:03I did, I did a lot of it, but not all by myself.
02:08It's painting something you want to continue doing?
02:11Yes.
02:12It's the second time the pupil of Reform Presbyterian Primary School
02:17has had her work hanging in the Rotunda Gallery, and she has even made a sale.
02:22Talitha's mother, Giselle Ferguson, noticed her daughter's passion for art very early,
02:26and though a bit reluctant, she turned it into an extracurricular activity for Talitha.
02:32I am very happy that I didn't shut down that talent, you know,
02:38because when I look back, I was on that road of shutting it down,
02:41because I'm like, you can't do this, you can't do that, you know,
02:45and that could be very demotivating.
02:47She's now urging parents to nurture the positive passion in their children.
02:5112-year-old Marie Clegghorn is another young talent who has had her work featured three times now.
02:57Her love for toucans inspired her piece, King of the Brain.
03:00Her focus is on her artistic growth.
03:04I'm seeing a lot of new styles and ways to do the artwork,
03:08and all the pieces are so much different, and I feel more in pieces.
03:13Marie walks us through a little bit of the process of her five-day creation.
03:18Making sure that the colors on the toucan were balancing well,
03:22not to say that there were, like, a lot of bright colors,
03:25so it took away focus from the piece,
03:28and I had to make sure that, like, the dark colors, like the black,
03:31and changing color of the branches,
03:33instead of a bold green, some more of a bluish-teal.
03:37Orlando Griffith has two pieces on display.
03:39One is photography, and the other a painting.
03:42The theme this year is something he feels passionate about.
03:45I think it's incredibly important that we pay close attention to what's going on on our planet,
03:50and just even in our own backyard.
03:52So conservation is very important to me,
03:54and I think this is why I also present my work like this,
03:58to show the value of what we have in our country and in the world.
04:02The exhibition runs from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until May 1st.
04:07Pieces in the gallery are up for sale.
04:10International Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22nd.
04:14Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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