1.
Introduction
Enhancing every child’s creative potential and promoting
cross-cultural and international understanding are the defining
challenges of the 21st century. In response to these challenges,
the International Child Art Foundation organizes the Arts
Olympiad Program every four years. The program starts with
a global competition, which lead to the world’s largest
international children’s festival, traditionally held
on The National Mall in Washington, DC. A description of our
current and previous programs is given below.
Global Art Competition: Children
ages 8 to 12 create paintings and drawings on a universal
theme, and U.S. and international finalists are selected;
Local Exhibitions and Festivals:
Partner organizations and schools exhibit the artworks locally
and exchange art with schools worldwide;
International ChildArt Festival:
We host the world's largest children's event every four years
in Washington, DC; and
Worldwide Exhibitions: We
arrange art exhibitions at major national and international
events.
2. Program Objectives
The
main objective of the Arts Olympiad is to nurture, celebrate
and support children’s creativity and imagination through
the arts, and to promote a common bond among the world’s
children so they can lead us into a better world. Related
program objectives are described below:
To
focus millions of children’s attention
on their own creativity and imagination, offering them a
unique opportunity
for free self-expression, by inspiring children to create
works of art on ICAF’s theme, and to develop a bond
among children as they realize that other children around
the world
are concurrently creating artworks on the same theme;
To underscore the importance of arts education, by providing
art teachers the opportunity to spearhead art creation,
exhibition
and selection in schools and to become involved in a global
program, giving international recognition to teachers
vital
role in a child’s creative development;
To
promote mutual understanding and international cooperation
among the world’s children by bringing them together
at an International Festival dedicated to children’s
creativity and imagination. The Festival is a watershed
event
in the lives of children, which they can build upon as they
grow older;
To instill self-esteem and self-confidence in children, by
recognizing the importance of their creativity and artistic
expressions in the 21st century, and by reinforcing the significance
of their creativity, via display of their artwork in schools,
on the Internet and at special exhibitions worldwide; and
To open a window into the hearts and minds of young children,
to facilitate a dialogue among them, their teachers and parents.
To foster cross-cultural and international understanding
among the youth, with an aim to promote global peace and
prosperity.
3.
The Arts Olympiad 2001-2004
The aim of our current program is to heal the children of
the world and to reassure them of the promise of a bright
future at this critical juncture in history. The theme of
the current program is “Me in the New Millennium.”
This theme provided children around the world a unique opportunity
for introspection and expression of their creativity and
imagination
through art. The program provided teachers and parents a
common platform to inspire children to visualize and shape
their
future.
Phase I: Global Art Creation Program
Artwork on the theme, “Me in the New Millennium,” vitally
important questions such as: “How do I see myself?”
“How do I want the world to see me?” “What
do I want to change?” “How should I be in the
new millennium?”
The
artworks created under the program will provide crucial
insights
into the important issues of identity and projection, leading
to a dialogue among the students themselves, their teachers
and parents.
Phase II: Local Exhibitions & Art Exchanges
Our Program Partners include Ministries of Education, Culture
and Youth, First Ladies, Foundations, national museums and
arts organizations, and media or children’s television
companies. Partners are strongly encouraged to organize exhibitions,
to give maximum exposure to the artworks created under the
program. Schools are encouraged to exchange artworks with
other schools. We coordinate these efforts and establishes
linkages between U.S. schools and schools worldwide. Some
Partners organize national child art festivals, based on the
ICAF festival model. Local exhibitions, art exchanges and
national festivals, leading up to the international event.
Phase III: 2003 International Childart Festival
ICAF hosts the largest international children's event in
the world, in Washington, DC every four years. The 2003 Festival
is scheduled to take place on September 6-13, 2003. The Festival
is a multicultural and international celebration that radiates
back exponentially from Washington, DC to schools and communities
across the United States and around the world. more...
Phase IV: Worldwide Exhibitions
ICAF is the world leader in children’s art exhibitions.
As the last phase of the Arts Olympiad, we will arrange exhibitions
in museums and at major conferences across the United States
and around the world. These exhibitions introduce the “voices”
of the world’s children to decision-makers. More...
