First lady Jill Biden shows Paris Robinson, age 10, and Autum Cobb, age 8, a display of their artwork in the Military Children Children’s Corner at the White House.Photo:Official White House Photographer Erin Scott
Official White House Photographer Erin Scott
The Military Children’s Corner, which opens to the public Tuesday, features the work of 11 military-connected children — ranging in age from 8 to 19 — all of whom are based at military outposts that Dr. Biden, 72, has personally engaged or visited during her time as first lady.
One of the young artists, Taylor Trudell, even got to meet Dr. Biden, along with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, during the first lady’s travels. Her art will be among the first things White House visitors see when they enter the East Wing.
Trudell, 19, attended Knob Noster High School in Missouri when she met the first lady. Now at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, she tells PEOPLE she was “astonished” to learn that one of her paintings was among those selected for the display.
Taylor Trudell art.Courtesy Taylor Trudell
Courtesy Taylor Trudell
“Painting a scene like this reframes what you think about something many take for granted,” Trudell tells PEOPLE. “The exterior of a house in town is seen hundreds of times a day, but it is considered mundane. This is a beautiful subject, on a pristine autumn day; I want to be able to feel like I am back on that sidewalk with the slight breeze, the crunching of the leaves under my feet, and the sun on my skin.”
Located in the East Colonnade, the display will be one of the first things those going on public tours of the White House see in its East Wing. The art will help teach White House visitors about the 4 million military-connected children whose parents are active-duty service members, National Guard or reservists, or veterans.
First lady Jill Biden walks along the East Colonnade of the White House with two children whose art is displayed in the new military family exhibit.Official White House Photographer Erin Scott
The exhibit — part of Dr. Biden’sJoiningForcesinitiative, which supports military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors — also features artwork fromSesame Street’s Rosita, whose character is the daughter of a wounded veteran.
Jill Biden with stepson Beau Biden, whom she raised as her own.Shutterstock
Supporting military families has been a focus of Dr. Biden’s time in the White House. She knows firsthand what it’s like to part of a military family: The president’s late son, Beau, served in the Delaware Army National Guard, deploying to Iraq in 2008. (Hedied from brain cancerat age 46 in 2015.)
First lady Jill Biden stands at the Military Children’s Corner with young artists whose works are now displayed in the White House.Official White House Photographer Erin Scott
Speaking to PEOPLE, Trudell says she hopes that the works in the display will show Americans “that there is so much more to military children than just their military affiliation.”
“While we all share a common thread, we all have passions, skills, and goals for ourselves that are sometimes sidelined due to our parents’ enlistment,” Trudell says. “The extra struggles that military families face due to their lack of common support systems are often overlooked. That is one reason why the visual arts hold such a fond place in my heart; it is a medium of expression that transcends language, time, money and country.”
source: people.com
