Fort Smith (Mar 22/04) - Adults in Fort Smith have a unique opportunity to discover how children see their town.

An exhibit entitled "Fort Smith est special" features the photos of 10 local children, aged six to nine.

The exhibit -- part of a number of events in Fort Smith in March for Les Celebrations de la Francophonie -- runs until April 1 at the Northern Life Museum.

The kids were given disposable cameras and asked to take pictures of what makes Fort Smith special. They invariably focused mainly on the people around them.

Kyrsten Jonasson, 9, pointed her camera towards family and friends to show what she likes about Fort Smith.

"I like it because it's fun and because of my friends and family and cousins," Kyrsten said.

Likewise Evan Tordiff, 7, said he took pictures of his two dogs, his mom and dad, his uncle, and his grandma and grandpa. "Because they're part of my family."

Amber Frank's photos also had a family theme, including a picture of her expectant mother.

"I took a picture of my mom's tummy," explained the seven-year-old.

There were also lots of pictures of family pets and toys. Along with pictures of his mom and dad, Robert Gray, 7, captured images of his dog and horses and his Lego blocks.

Pure artists

Anne-Marie Vigeant, coordinator of the Fort Smith Francophone Association, asked the children to take pictures. They are all in the association's after-school program.

She said about 80 per cent of the photos are of family and friends.

"Really, what makes a place special is the people around you."

Vigeant notes the pictures also feature pets, school activities, computers and local sites, such as the curling rink and The Radium King tugboat on display at the museum.

The 10 young photographers have six photos each on display, for a total of 60 images.

"They're the pure artists," Vigeant said. "They have a pure way of seeing things."

She said it is interesting to see the world from the viewpoint of children, noting that adults look like giants in some of their pictures.