The Arts Olympiad, our school and after-school art program, inspires students to embrace the "Artist-Athlete Ideal" of the creative mind and healthy body (mente sana in corpo sano). Our structured lesson plans awaken the dormant "inner-artists" or slumbering "inner-athletes" for students to begin thinking of themselves and others as "artist-athletes", not as jocks, nerds, techies, or artsy. Blending the artistic and the athletic mindsets builds confidence and resilience against anxiety, fear, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It empowers students to overcome the "4th-grade slump" in creativity discovered by E. Paul Torrance, the "father" of creativity. This revised self-image solidifies when students depict themselves as artist-athletes in the artwork they produce under the Arts Olympiad. As the artist-athletes grow in number, their school becomes a more integrated, healthy, creative community.

Young artist-athletes from across America and nearly 100 participating countries come together at the World Children's Festival, traditionally held at The National Mall across the U.S. Capitol. Three days of workshops and activities are choreographed to provide a transformative experience that infuses students’ creativity with empathy so they can become creative-empaths, who are eager to work together for a prosperous and peaceful future.

The Arts Olympiad stories from Texas, Croatia, Israel, New Zealand, and China (2.1Mb pdf)