Those sessions have culminated with the official launch of “War Through the Eyes of Children,” an exhibit at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) that opened to the public on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Friday from 4 to 7:30 p.m. It will also be open for viewing on Wednesday, Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. before a live auction next Friday, Jan. 31 beginning at 7 p.m. There is no cost to view the artwork, and the proceeds from the auction will help to provide “essential supplies” such as materials for weaving camouflage nets, charging stations for the military, and medical supplies while also benefiting the wounded returning veterans and Gold Star families of Zdolbuniv. The city is not part of the direct war zone but has seen many young men sent off to the front lines, some of them never to return.

“As children are apt to do, they have surprised and impressed us all with their poignant, honest, sometimes melancholy, sometimes hopeful depictions of the war that dominates their lives,” Sister City committee member Carrie Barr said.

MACC Executive Director Kristine Kienzle said Amber Danielson of the Arts+Culture Alliance had been in close contact with Barr, whose own son Burgess fled the country with his wife and family after the invasion, and Kienzle had wanted to make the facility more of a “first thought” for public art shows, especially those with unique educational and cultural value.

“Carrie and I just kind of took off at that point. We weren’t really sure what it looked like, but she had this great art. And I knew that some exhibits had happened this way in the past, and it’s not as traditional as the (Fisher Art) Museum necessarily, but this way it’s welcoming and approachable for the community,” Kienzle said. “We’ve kind of been building it as we’ve gone at this point because more people have gotten involved and wanted to help, so they bring ideas too… So it’s just grown.”

Members of the Ragland family browse some of the other featured art from the exhibit, which will be open to the public for free viewings on Wednesday, Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. before the live auction next Friday.

Teachers in Zdolbuniv chose 22 of the finest selections from their students ages 7 to 17 to ship across the Atlantic Ocean, and City Councilor/Mayor Pro Tem Mike Ladehoff, who has played a key role with the Marshalltown United for Ukraine group since its inception, said the arts are a key component of the education system there. With titles like “Ukraine is Crying” and “I Have No Home,” many of the works paint a grim picture of life under Russian occupation.

“I think some of them are very descriptive of how they feel during the war — pictures of bombs, people being hurt, sheltering in place, being afraid,” Ladehoff said. “Some other ones, they do show (people) being brave.’

Others, however, are decidedly more optimistic, including one depicting an individual blowing bubbles amidst the war and the bubbles showcasing a better, more peaceful world.

“Some of the paintings by the younger kids are really amazing,” Ladehoff added.

Fellow City Councilor Melisa Fonseca, who was elected after the initial Sister City meeting last May, said getting involved with the project has been an important learning experience and a window into the situation unfolding halfway across the world.

“They still stay strong. Whenever we ask them, you know, ‘How are you guys doing?’ They’re like ‘Well, it’s tough, but we still have to go to school. We still have to go to work. We still have to do all these things.’ You guys are living through war and just still have to keep going. That’s what’s tough,” she said. “And then they let us know that, unfortunately, 100 of their town people have passed away (as a result of the war)… And then they have let us know about what information they’re wanting to get, because it’s a two-way relationship, and what they’ve expressed is that they want to know more about how to treat their wounded veterans, their wounded people and just more medical information.”

The scenes of destruction may look familiar to local residents, Fonseca added, due to the 2018 tornado and 2020 derecho that ripped through Marshalltown. With the live auction, the goal is to raise as much money as possible, but any amount helps and will be received with great appreciation.

And the partnership between Marshalltown and Zdolbuniv will continue as their leaders search for further opportunities to collaborate — currently, plans are being discussed to connect the eSports teams from each community and use the Iowa Veterans Home as a resource to assist Ukrainian veterans returning home with severe injuries, missing limbs and mental health concerns such as PTSD.

And as Kienzle noted, the art exhibit is something Marshalltonians can immerse themselves in for a few hours, but for the people of Zdolbuniv and Ukraine as a whole, the horror of war is still an every day, all consuming reality.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.