Papa Ink: The Children's Art Archive

This painting is called "Flower." It is by a girl from Serbia. It is a watercolor. Her name is Kristina. She was 4 years old when she painted it. It is on a website called "Papa Ink."

"Papa Ink, the Children's Art Archive, is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to the art of youth. Our activities encompass the exhibition of works by young artists, the archiving of historically significant children's art collections and the building of communities that support children's creative endeavors. Through open archival access, PapaInk seeks to grow the audience for children's art and reinject the creative spirit of young people into human experience."

And as the audience for children's art grows, so do we, as adults, as families, as communities, as children. Especially as adults who have maybe forgotten that they are artists. Especially for the children who have so much to remind us about. Like how beauty and joy, image and imagination, art and fun are, at the heart of it, all the same thing.

Papa Ink explains: "First, the vigorous and open-eyed quality of children's creative acts gives these acts a redemptive role complementary to other positive forms of human expression; Second, works by young artists are a vital yet largely unrecognized part of the cultural and historical record; Third, a non-profit archival body committed to the aesthetic presentation and professional preservation of worldwide children's art holdings can play a pivotal role in raising the social, historical and aesthetic value of young people's creative acts."

Cool, huh.