Children Draw War, Not Flowers

In today’s case study, we want to show you a virtual environment created by the San

Jose State University. The project is called Children Draw War, Not Flowers, and it’s an

an excellent example of how a school can use virtual spaces to educate and inform.

In this virtual museum, children’s artwork collected by SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian

Cultural Heritage Online) are displayed. Each image was drawn or painted by Ukrainian

children whose ages range from as old as 16 to as young as 8 years old. The children

have drawn women representing Ukraine, the bombs threatening to destroy their

motherland, and the soldiers fighting to protect them.

This museum also contains photographs collected by the Ukrainian Library Association

of the destruction wrought by Russian munitions on Ukraine’s libraries. These ruined

and blackened interiors are barely recognizable as a human shelter, let alone an

educational institution. There are also images of these same libraries before they were

destroyed. Intact, surrounded by trees, and standing near calmly flowing water, it’s hard

to imagine that any government would want these places destroyed.

On some of the walls, intense videos by Ukrainian filmmaker Volodymyr Sydko play.

These videos were filmed both from the air and on the ground with Ukrainian soldiers as

they engage Russian forces while surrounded by destruction in a war-torn wasteland.

Churches and housing blocks lie abandoned, with their windows blown open and their

roofs collapsed into what once were people’s beloved homes and places of sanctity and

worship.

The full environment is open to the public, and can be found at:

Please note that the environment has a capacity of about 50 people and contains

combat footage that may be upsetting for war survivors or veterans.

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