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Heart in the Middle of the World
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Commentary and Discussion Page
Dr. Emil Tanay Biographical Information
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Historians have reported the devastating effects
of war by means of a variety of measures.
For example, history texts sometimes report the number of lives lost,
or the number of city blocks destroyed.
News stories frequently report the monetary value of property lost in civil strife. Loss of life and loss of property are obvious and frightening outcomes. Another cost of
war, one that is more difficult to measure, is the cost in the education, growth, and development of children. This loss is seldom reported, but its long term effects may be more devastating than other types of loss. This loss will affect the vitality and
possible survival of nations and cultures.
The purpose of the present work is to encourage the public to reflect on the
effects of violence on children's education.
It may also increase public awareness of the value of arts instruction.
Refugee and displaced children created the images on the exhibit pages. These children were able to create the works because concerned adults provided a limited amount of art instruction during the period of conflict . Some of the images
show the effects of fear and isolation. Evidently, some of the refugee children
found it difficult to organize or communicate ideas. At an age when most children are learning literacy and expressive skills, those childrenŐs lives were disrupted by war. Shelters that housed the refugee children often did not have books, pencils,
or crayons. Teachers were themselves preoccupied with daily survival. In spite of
the conditions, the last group of illustrations seem to offer hope that art instruction can help bridge the differences among children. We live in a time when war has
disrupted families in many areas of the world.The expressive and symbolic content
of art work by refugee and displaced children is a record of the effects
of war and conflict.
The Children's Bridge
Dr. Emil Tanay, Professor of Art at the University of Zagreb, Croatia,
worked with displaced and refuge
children throughout the war in the former Yugoslavia. His book, Heart in the Middle of the World documents his efforts to
provide art instruction to both Muslim and Croatian children during those
years. The images that Croatian and Muslim children created on their
respective sides of the bridge in Mostar speak to the power of visual art to
bridge differences among people. His observations suggest that
continued art education is of value, even under even the most difficult circumstances.
References
Tanay, Emil Robert (1995). Heart in the middle of the world. Studio Tanay: Zagreb, Croatia. ISBN 953-96418-02
Tanay, Emil
Robert (1995). The children's bridge is not destroyed: Heart
in the middle of the world. INSEA NEWS, 5 (2) 4-6.
 ![[Dr. Tanay]](../next.gif)
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Updated 30 August, 1997
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