The art of local St. Louis students aged 4 to 14 was featured in Tisch Commons on Tuesday night during the second annual City Faces Art Show.

Started by Washington University Associate Professor of Architecture Bob Hansman, City Faces runs tutoring and mentoring services in addition to a community garden and other projects in the St. Louis area. Since its inception in 1994, City Faces has worked to provide educational and life skills to children through interaction with University students.

Skyler Kessler | Student Life

A child takes photos of artwork featured in the City Faces Art Show on Tuesday Night. The opening night event featured artwork of students involved in the program and will continue for the rest of the week.

Hoping to return to their roots as an art program, City Faces brought in the student-artists after a tutoring session to see their work unveiled. Around 50 pieces of art were shown with printed copies available for sale. Additionally, a poetry anthology created by the grade schoolers was available, illustrated with the works of the student-artists. Proceeds from the art sale, which will continue through April 6, will go towards City Faces’ operating budget.

Art student and junior Sophia Keskey has seen the City Faces tutoring program grow from seven volunteers her freshman year to over 50 current volunteers. Keskey noted how the art program offered by City Faces is instrumental in helping to improve the long-term academic careers of these students.

“A lot of these kids don’t have a lot of self-confidence in their abilities—it’s a lack of self-confidence and a lack of a support network,” Keskey said. “I think that arts, and the other programs we offer, offer opportunities for the kids to gain these things.”

“By doing interdisciplinary, like art, music and science, that’s how you can build the academic confidence and have kids become passionate and love something,” Keskey added. “For me, it’s play to passion to purpose.”

By shifting its focus away from drills and worksheets, the tutoring program hopes to bolster subjects that schools do not actively teach.

Skyler Kessler | Student Life

“Our goal is to get kids to love learning,” Keskey said. “And a lot of the times, their schools do not spend time on subjects outside math and reading. Even science really isn’t accounted for. So were trying to expose them to extracurricular opportunities to become passionate about something.”

Founder and University architecture professor Bob Hansman said that the role of arts is very important, especially in equipping these children to handle challenging life issues with an educated mindset.

“[Program graduates] often say that the way we talk to them about drawing gives them life skills,” Hansman said. “The way they think about breaking down a drawing problem is the way they start thinking, breaking down a life problem and dealing with it and making it manageable. So besides self-expression, I think there’s really thinking skills that [the children] learn that are transferable to the rest of their life.”

Hansman also noted how proud he was of the numerous ways that University students help to fulfill City Faces’ mission.

“I’m almost in tears,” Hansman said. “I’m really touched to see the…many things [the University students] do. They do the mentoring, they help the kids with schoolwork, they have these boys’ and girls’ clubs to help them with life skills. It’s so multi-dimensional so when you see any one part of it, you are only seeing one piece.”

Skyler Kessler | Student Life

This event was not the first time that artwork from the young students has been displayed and sold, as Mr. Wash. U. has previously displayed the artwork as a supplement to its show. Additionally, City Faces once had an art gallery on the Delmar Loop that hosted the works of students.

Freshman Will Clutterbuck came to the show to support a friend who is a tutor in the City Faces program.

“I think [the chance to be an artist] definitely spurs their creativity,” Clutterbuck said. “These kids use their [mistakes] and they adapt it to make it work in their piece.”

He also thought it was beneficial for City Faces’ mission to bring the children to the unveiling.

“It definitely is a good boost of self-confidence for them. They come out here and they see their art is being sold, almost as if they are about to be put in a museum. I respect these kids and the obvious work that they have done, and they have obviously had fun doing it,” Clutterbuck said.