Wasting Time

When Art is Mistaken for a Waste of Time

“Wasting Time,” art exhibition, showcases the creative works of children and adults from the Hardy Center of Art.

What if the time you think is being wasted is actually the time when something beautiful is being created? This is the question behind “Wasting Time,” a unique art exhibition featuring the creative works of children and adults from the Hardy Center of Art.

The exhibition is guided by Rhuani Rambukwelle, known as the “Lion Artist,” who has been teaching art for 24 years. Her years of teaching have been dedicated to nurturing creativity and encouraging both children and adults to discover the artist within themselves.

A total of 42 participants—16 adults and 26 children—will feature their works at the exhibition. In a world where success is often measured by productivity, art can sometimes be misunderstood. A child sitting for hours drawing or painting may be told, “You are wasting your time.” An adult spending hour creating a painting may be asked, “What is the point?” But is art really a waste of time?

Rhuani Rambukwelle, artist and founder, Hardy Center of Art.

The exhibition “ Wasting Time” challenges this perception by looking at what actually happens when someone spends time creating art. Behind every painting is time spent observing, thinking, experimenting, making mistakes and trying again. Behind every creative idea is imagination. Behind every finished artwork is a journey that cannot always be measured in money, academic results or productivity. For children, especially, art can become a powerful way of discovering the world. Through drawing, painting, and creating, they learn to observe, imagine, make decisions, and express what they think and feel. They learn that mistakes can become part of the creative process and that something new can emerge from simply trying.

For adults, art can provide a space to slow down, reflect and express experiences that words sometimes cannot communicate.

Walking towards enlightenment by Rhuani.

The exhibition therefore presents “wasting time” from two perspectives. Time can certainly be wasted through distraction, procrastination and activities that take us away from what is meaningful. But time spent creating, imagining, learning and expressing ourselves should not automatically be placed in the same category. Sometimes the value of time cannot be seen immediately. A blank canvas may look like nothing. A child with a paintbrush may look as though they are simply playing. Hours spent creating may appear unproductive. But within those moments, imagination is developing, confidence is growing and a unique voice is being discovered.

The exhibition “Wasting Time” challenges this perception by looking at what actually happens when someone spends time creating art.

The exhibition is guided by Rhuani Rambukwelle, known as the “Lion Artist,” who has been teaching art for 24 years. Her years of teaching have been dedicated to nurturing creativity and encouraging both children and adults to discover the artist within themselves. “Wasting Time” is therefore more than an art exhibition. It is an invitation to reconsider what we call valuable. Perhaps the real question is not, “How much time are you spending on art?”

Perhaps it is: What is being created with the time you spend?” Come and experience “Wasting Time” and discover how moments that may appear to be wasted can become moments of imagination, creativity and transformation.