War Toys® founder and Executive Director Brian McCarty will be giving a talk at the National WW1 Museum & Memorial in support of the touring exhibition War Toys: Ukraine. Preceding McCarty’s lecture at 6:30 pm, there will be an hour-long reception featuring a photography display of his work from the Middle East.
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 | 5:30 pm Reception | 6:30 pm Lecture
The exhibition War Toys: Ukraine starts its five-year tour of the U.S. at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York on 10 November 2023. Curated by Barbara Griffin and Lauren Steel, the exhibition features a selection of our work with children affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Included alongside the photographs and children’s drawings are some of the actual toy props sourced in Ukraine and used on location.
The show, produced by the Mid-America Art Alliance and Exhibits USA, also reveals the full scope and scale of War Toys’ toy industry program for the first time. Prototypes of our figures and board game are included in a large installation.
The exhibition will remain on view at the Strong National Museum of Play until 16 March 2024.
Brian McCarty, as founder and executive director of War Toys®, is honored to be joining the board of directors for the International Toy Research Association (ITRA).
Founded in 1993, ITRA brings together academics, creatives, and other toy industry professionals from around the world to share research and foster a community approach to creating the best possible toys for children’s development and society as a whole.
War Toys is honored to be exhibiting at the PhotoVille Festival, opening June 3rd in Brooklyn. Now in its 12th year, PhotoVille showcases impactful work by photographers from around the world. The festival features over 80 public art exhibitions, inspirational walking tours, in-depth panels, and interactive workshops.
Our installation, housed inside a shipping container in Brooklyn Bridge Park, will highlight War-Toys collaborations from 2011-2022 with children from Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip. Brian McCarty will be there opening weekend to talk about the work and invite viewers to understand war from a new perspective—as a child, for whom the “bad guy" is whoever is shooting at them.
📅 June 3 – June 18, 2023
📣 Opening Weekend June 3 and 4, 2023 in Brooklyn Bridge Park
📍 80+ exhibitions across all 5 boroughs
✨ visit photoville.nyc to learn more
Brian McCarty, Photographer and Executive Director of the War Toys® nonprofit organization, recently spent 5-weeks in Ukraine collaborating with children to narratively recreate their firsthand accounts of the war. He will present a special preview of the resulting, art-therapy-based work and discuss the effects of the war on Ukrainian children. A brief Q&A will follow. This project is supported in part by an arts grant from the City of West Hollywood.
West Hollywood Library
Community Meeting Room
625 N San Vicente Blvd 90069
Free & open to the public
The renowned Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi, Belgium is hosting a large exhibition of War Toys work with children from Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. The exhibition features a selection of 31 photographs and children’s drawings from over a decade of work in the field. Photographer and Executive Director of War Toys Brian McCarty will be on hand for the opening on January 28th, 2023.
The show runs from January 28th until May 21st, 2023
Brian is honored to have War Toys work included in the exhibition Déflagrations, curated by Zérane Girardeau, at the MUCEM in Marseille, France. With support from the French Ministry of Culture and organizations including the UNHCR, UNICEF, SOS Villages D’Enfants, Human Rights Watch, and Doctors Without Borders, Zérane has built a remarkable exhibition that focuses on children’s graphical accounts of war and mass crimes. It is an extension of the work she does as director of the nonprofit association Déflagrations which seeks to preserve and present children’s often-undervalued perspectives on their own traumatic experiences, shared through creative expression.
Prints of the photo/drawing pair “Survivor. Alone.” appear in the exhibition. The photograph was created in 2016 in response to an anonymous, Syrian, refugee girl revealing her feelings of intense isolation and guilt over surviving an airstrike that killed the rest of her family in Aleppo. In an art-based interview, conducted by art therapist and War Toys board member Myra Saad at a Kayany Foundation school, the girl drew herself crying in a field of ash, protected by an invisible shield from the missiles falling above. Note that the girl’s name has been pixelated on the top right of her drawing to preserve the anonymity that she requested.
The Mucem is currently closed due to current COVID-19 restrictions within France, but the show’s run has just been extended until 29 August 2021.
I’m honored to have a selection of War Toys work included in an upcoming international photo festival in Verona, Italy. The 3rd edition of Grenze – Arsenali fotografici opens on 9 September 2020 with the theme of "Als Ob” after a delay of several months due to COVID–19. War Toys photos and accompanying reproductions of children’s drawings will be exhibited at the main venue – the Former Military Arsenal. With the pandemic continuing to limit travel from the US, Brian McCarty will sadly miss out on attending the festival. Our gratitude goes to festival co-director Simone Azzoni as well as TdH Italia, Kayany Foundation, UNRWA, Artichoke Studio, and everyone who has supported the work.
When I began the War Toys photo series – first as a study in 1996 – I couldn’t have imagined how far it would come. Over the past nine years, I’ve been honored to gather and tell the stories of hundreds of children who have been profoundly affected by war, advocating on their behalf through exhibitions, presentations, and media engagement. Yet with each milestone, I’ve said and felt that I’m just scratching the surface. There’s so much more that can and should be done for children, both inside and out of recognized war zones.
It’s more than I’ve been able to do on my own as an independent artist (with the resources to match). Although poor in funding, I’ve had a wealth of supporters. Many of you have publicly and privately been endless sources of encouragement, fueling my determination to continue the work and shine a spotlight on what children are facing around the world.
The first War Toys photo from East Jerusalem in 2011
It is because of you that War Toys is now proudly launching as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, devoted to helping children who have been affected by war in all its forms. With the guidance of a remarkable board of directors and advisors, we will be working to expand upon the advocacy work of the photo series; educate and train caregivers in expressive-therapy-based interventions for children; and provide toys to children that comfort, promote resilience, and encourage new ways of thinking about war.
I cannot thank all of our supporters enough, and I’m excited to be on this journey with you all. Together we can make a real impact and a positive difference to the lives of children around the world.
The traveling exhibition WAR-TOYS: Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Strip opens on July 10th at the Marshall M Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University.
Brian McCarty will be giving a public presentation on September 4th @ 7pm in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall, Curtiss Hall. Copies of the WAR-TOYS: Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip catalog will be available for purchase and signing after the talk.
The NGO Terre des Hommes Italia is supporting a unique outdoor installation of War-Toys work at the upcoming Gibellina PhotoRoad Festival in Sicily, curated by Arianna Catania. I will be there for the opening July 26th – 29th, 2019 and revealing new, unseen work from Iraq.
Brian is honored to have a War-Toys piece included in the exhibition "Juger/Créer: Regards sur la Cour Pénale Internationale,” opening on 26 November 2018 at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris. The exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of the International Criminal Court and its creation by the Rome Statue.
Organized by The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Institute of Advanced Studies on Justice, the National School of Magistrates, the Cité internationale des arts, Creating Rights, the City of Paris, and artists including Zérane Girardeau, the exhibition and accompanying round table discussions present an original and transversal approach to the International Criminal Court by combining different disciplines: history, law, sociology and art.
A route designed around different spaces allows visitors to gradually enter the heart of the Court. From the presentation of this international jurisdiction, to the immersion in a trial, to the victims' view of the crimes they have suffered, the organizers and artists wanted both to pay tribute to this institution and to allow the opening of a dialogue and reflection on its functioning, its actions, its ambitions and its future. Celebrating this historic moment serves to remind us that the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression are a violation of our humanity and that it is essential to support the International Criminal Court's action in its fight against impunity.
The selected War-Toys image was created in 2016 and based on a young Syrian refugee’s account of being the lone survivor of an airstrike that killed her entire family. To preserve the girl's anonymity, her name has been pixelated in the top right of her drawing. Humble thanks goes to the Kayany Foundation for facilitating the art-based interview at one of their schools for refugees in Lebanon, Art Therapist Myra Saad for conducting the interview on behalf of War-Toys, Zérane Girardeau for selecting the piece for the exhibition, and Maud Saheb at UNICEF France for the kind introduction.
For more information:
https://www.citedesartsparis.net/en/exhibition-juger-creer
In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, Brian McCarty chronicles the horrors of war through the eyes of children, using art therapy and toys to direct his photographs.
Just after his last trip to Iraq, Brian sat for an interview with Reuters while in Beirut. The story was picked up by dozens of on-air and online outlets around the world including The New York Times, Al Jazeera Plus, US News and World Report, Indian Express, Brut/Dailymotion, and PBS News Hour (seen above).
Shot for the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the photo below celebrates the upcoming exhibition “Kaiju vs Heroes,” featuring Mark Nagata’s unrivalled collection of vintage Japanese toys. Born out of the cultural ashes of World War II, these distinctive soft vinyl figures became both a means for Japanese Americans to reconnect with their culture and an apt metaphor for postwar relations between the United States and Japan. The show opens September 15th, 2018 and runs until March 24th, 2019.
Mark is a brilliant artist, designer, and the original founder of Super7. He left to start his labor of love – the Max Toy Company. The immensely popular toys that he designs and produces (like Captain Maxx and Drazoran seen in the photo) are heavily inspired by archetypical characters from Japanese pop culture in the 1950s and 60s. Brian has enjoyed getting another chance to collaborate with Mark after so many years. He shot Mark's iconic Eyezon figure (now in the permanent collection of The Strong, National Museum of Play) back in 2008.
The University of Houston's Clear Lake Gallery is hosting the touring exhibition "WAR-TOYS: Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Strip," curated by Catinca Tabacaru, produced by ExhibitsUSA, and supported by the Mid-America Art Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The show is up from January 29th until March 15th, 2018. Brian will be on hand for a closing reception and artist's talk on March 8th from 6-8pm.
On stands now, the latest issue of Hi Fructose magazine contains a 12-page feature on Brian's War-Toys series with a very thoughtful and thorough piece on the work written by Silke Tudor. Within the article are the first drafts of new work from Brian's six-weeks in Iraq with Terre des Hommes Italia and IOM / UN Migration Agency.
An advocacy campaign for UNICEF France was recently released. A series of previous War-Toys photos was posted on social media with the hashtag #ChildrenInWar, earning wide praise, including from French President François Hollande. Flatteringly, he specifically mentioned the work during opening remarks at a UNICEF-supported conference on child rights in Paris.
Entertainment Weekly recently commissioned a unique shoot of Aquaman for their “Heroic Double Issue." Often the butt of jokes, Brian shot the Justice League co-founder at the bottom of a swimming pool as he tried to look super serious amongst resident goldfish, understandably fascinated by the King of Atlantis.
The shot (minus the fish) was created entirely in-camera. To protect him from the chlorine, the fish was shot separately in a freshwater container suspended within the pool to match angle and lighting.
The issue is on stands now with Doctor Strange on the cover and a ranking of the 50 most powerful superheroes inside. Pick up a copy to see how Aquaman stacked up!
On Thursday, October 6 at 6:30pm, Brian will be speaking at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art about his experiences developing WAR-TOYS and collaborating with war-affected children in the Middle East. He will be sharing details behind the art-therapy-based project and some of its resulting photographs. The talk is presented in conjunction with the ongoing exhibition Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose.
The event is open to public. MOCA Members Free / Non-members $5
The main gallery at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host the traveling exhibition "WAR-TOYS: Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip" from September 1st until October 20th, 2016.
Brian will be speaking at the university on September 21st as part of a public event marking the International Day of Peace.
“WAR-TOYS” is a striking portrait of war from the eyes of children. The exhibition features Brian McCarty's meticulously composed toy photographs, taken on location in areas of active conflict. Using an art therapy based approach and working with NGOs, McCarty invited children living in these areas to art direct his photos through supervised drawing and discussion. The results are powerful, interpretive documents of witnessed events and shared fears.
The exhibition includes the children's drawings as well as some of the locally acquired toys used in the photographs. "War-Toys: Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip" is curated by Catinca Tabacaru and presented by the NEA-funded Mid-America Arts Alliance and ExhibitsUSA.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
151 Fine Arts Bldg.
2801 S. University Ave.
Little Rock, AR 72204
Free and Open to the Public