Budding student artists given a platform by Zindagi Trust

Art show held at SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School brought students into the limelight

To explore Pakistan's previously untapped pool of budding artists, the Zindagi Trust held an art show at the SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School on Saturday, where exciting art works by students from two government schools were on display.
Citizens from all walks of life came out to support the budding artists and echoed the trust's cause of bringing art to government schools. Parents thronged the event and were impressed by the talents of their children. Artists, art educators, public art activists, government officials, media personalities and other representatives from the non-profit sector also attended the event.
Ambreen Kureshi, who heads art at St Joseph's Convent and Nixor College, inaugurated the show.

PHOTO: COURTESY ZINDAGI TRUST

"I had no idea art would be done with so much passion at a government school - the diversity of the work and the effort of the students and teachers is evident," she said. "Judging this show was not easy - kudos to the school management for making art a priority!"
The exhibition featured pencil portraits, acrylic paintings, collages, pottery and crafts as well as beautiful reinterpretations of impressionism and cubism. The Hunza Dawoodi Band entertained the art enthusiasts and students with soulful music on the rubab, dadang and flute. Shaheer Khan stunned the audience by reading the minds of the visitors. Zindagi Trust Founder Shehzad Roy shared the trust's story and its vision for government school reform.



The trust manages the two participating government schools - Khatoon-e-Pakistan Government School and SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School - and has transformed the infrastructure, enrolment, parental engagement and student development at the school.
"We believe in giving our students a taste of every discipline - from science and football to chess and art - so that we can help them discover their talents and hone them into the best version of themselves," said Roy. "I am so proud that our government school students are confidently educating our visitors about movements like impressionism and cubism!"

PHOTO: COURTESY ZINDAGI TRUST

Artists and educators from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture Masuma Halai Khuaja and Nasheed Imran also judged the show and said they were overwhelmed by the quality of the work. They, along with Bina Ali, suggested that the school be made one of venues of Karachi Biennale because it has already established itself as a haven of ideas, creativity and peace in the area.
Malir General Officer Commanding General Zahid Mahmood visited the school and expressed his surprise at the depth of the work the trust has done to transform the school.
"I will take some of these ideas - like chess and creative children's books - back to Malir Cantt schools," he added. He also announced a donation of Rs1 million for a project at the SMB Fatima Jinnah Government School campus.



The Akram Foundation continued their support for the trust and brought brownies and cake for the student artists. Many visitors expressed a desire to buy the student art to support the children in making a decision to choose art as a career.
Government officials like the local taluka education officer, chief monitoring officer from the education department, headmaster of the DCTO Lyari School, teachers union representatives from the Government Secondary Teachers' Association and several teachers and lecturers from neighbouring schools and colleges attended the event and noted that this was a much-needed shift from rote-learning that we have come to associate with our schools.

PHOTO: COURTESY ZINDAGI TRUST

The show coincided with the school's result day, ensuring an even greater turnout of parents who were beaming with pride at their children's art work. One parent stressed that providing a creative and thoughtful education, as evident from this show, was no less than an act of worship.