Getting to know one another through drawing

Greece and Israel are bound to one another through a long history that has brought them together on many occasions (Arnold, 1993) and through their geographical location at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. The perception the countries have of each other does not derive as much from historical ties however, as from images portrayed in the mass media. The goals of one educational programme at the Coumantaros Art Gallery in Sparta, called Getting to Know One Another Through Drawing were: (1) to introduce children to one another at personal and cultural levels through the suggested topics; and (2) to achieve this personal and cultural interchange between children in two countries directly, with as little as possible adult interference. Analysis of the results indicated that this programme reduced the mental distance separating children living in Israel and Greece and enabled them feel closer to one another.