What We Do Once we recognize the power in a child’s art, we can foster their
creative development and harness their imagination for positive social
change. The International Child Art Foundation has been a pioneering force
in effectively and systematically bringing about a change in awareness
about children’s creativity through a decade of innovative programming
including: the Arts Olympiads, the World Children's Festivals, Peace through
Art and Healing Arts programs, interactive exhibitions, research, Sketches newsletter and ChildArt quarterly publication. The ICAF serves as the national
art and creativity organization for American children and the international
art organization for the world's children. It integrates the arts with
science, sport and technology for the development of children's creativity
and empathy - preconditions for a more just, prosperous and nonviolent
world. The
Arts Olympiad
Every four years the ICAF launches the Arts Olympiad, a free program
for all children ages 8 to 12. Commencing with structured lesson plans,
the Arts Olympiad leads to thematic art competitions in which students
often serve as judges. Country partners in the second program year organize
national exhibitions and celebrations. The World Children’s Festival
in the third year brings together the Arts Olympiad finalists to Washington,
DC for a weeklong celebration and training. Public awareness of the importance
of creativity and empathy is also promoted through interactive exhibitions
in the fourth and final year. The U.S. Olympic Committee has granted
the ICAF an exclusive license to use “Arts Olympiad” and
related marks.
The
World Children's Festivals
The ICAF is a world leader in designing, planning and staging of educational
festivals for children. In September 1998, the ICAF organized the first-ever
national children’s art festival in the United States, which was
held on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In June 2006, the ICAF organized
the first-ever European Children’s Festival, which was held at
the Olympia Park in Munich. In June 2007, the ICAF hosted the world's
largest celebration of children's creativity and imagination - the World
Children's Festival - on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Healing Arts Programs
Based on the knowledge and experience gained from the treatment
of child survivors of the September 11, 2001 tragedy and other disasters,
the ICAF launched a program in January 2005 to aid child victims of the
Asian tsunami. Later that year, the ICAF volunteers and art therapists
were using their tsunami experience to help children affected by Hurricane
Katrina in the U.S. Gulf Coast. In partnership with the World Bank Arts
Programs on “Destruction, Reconstruction, and Prevention,” the
ICAF exhibited tsunami and Katrina works at the bank headquarters in
Washington, DC in December 2005. The ICAF’s “Children of
Katrina” exhibition was held in October 2006 at Museu da Cidade
in Lisbon, Portugal. Peace Through Art
In response to the September 11, 2001 tragedy, the ICAF developed
an innovative methodology in collaboration with psychiatrists and
psychologists. The methodology inspires children to use their own
creativity to reduce trans-generational transmission of trauma and
hatred and build a vision of peaceful coexistence. The methodology
was field-tested in 2002 in a program, funded by the Cyprus Fulbright
Commission, which brought Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youth
to Washington, DC for three-weeks. The UK’s leading medical
journal the Lancet featured the approach in its December 2006 issue. Exhibitions and Public Education
The first public exhibition of the Arts Olympiad finalists’ masterpieces
takes place on the National Mall across the National Gallery of Art
during the World Children’s Festival. These brilliant works and
the murals produced at the festivals have been exhibited at major events,
including the White House Millennium Celebration and the 2003 World
Bank/IMF Annual Meetings, and at international venues, including the
United Nations Headquarters in New York and the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin, Italy. Several universities, including Harvard, have also
held ICAF exhibitions. "The beauty and thoughtfulness of these works
offer powerful evidence of the breadth and depth of the global
conversation
that is
cultivated
and perpetuated through children’s art." - Dr. Jessica
Hoffmann Davis, Harvard Graduate School of Education An ICAF exhibition opened at the Peace Study
Center in Baltimore in September 2007. Another exhibition
opens at Yeungjin College, Daegu, Korea in October 2007. ChildArt Magazine
Since 1998 the ICAF has published the quarterly ChildArt magazine.
Free of advertisements, ChildArt is a leading magazine for children’s
creative development and global education. "Not only is this professionally-produced magazine
both visually and intellectually engaging in content and design…it
offers a cogent reminder of art’s central role in linking world
cultures, each to each. For its polycultural outlook and special
focus, ChildArt is
unique among magazines for children - but readers of any age will
find it a rewarding way to broaden their cultural horizons." -
John Peters, Supervising Librarian, Central Children’s Room,
The New York Public Library Act today and subscribe
to ChildArt! Sketches Newsletter
More than 23,000 creative individuals and children subscribe to the ICAF
monthly newsletter Sketches, and their numbers are growing
every day. The newsletter inspires individuals to become anchors of
sustainable creative and
cooperative
communities across the globe. To subscribe to this free newsletters, email
media@icaf.org about yourself and your interests.. Licensing
Contact the
ICAF for
all your licensing needs for brilliant images
for calendars, books, cards and annual reports. Research
Over the past ten-years the ICAF has spawned research in creative
development of children, peace methodologies, and impact of art and
creativity
programs.
To view samples of papers and articles click
here...
Outreach, governance and recognition
To date, more than 5 million
children have directly participated in the Arts Olympiads
and an estimated 10 million additional
children have benefited within various capacities through
the ICAF exhibitions, publications and festivals. The
ICAF global network involves country partners in more
than 80
countries. The ICAF Executive Board has fiduciary responsibility
and oversees all operations. Prominent educators, artists
and business leaders serve on the Advisory Board. The Youth
Board, comprised of some of the most creative and imaginative
children and young people in the world, honors creative
global leaders with the World Children’s Awards. The ICAF has received the 2000 Bravo’s National
Art Education Award, the 2004 the Peter F. Drucker Award
for Nonprofit Innovation (Honorable Mention), and the 2004
World Cultural Open’s Exemplary Humanitarian Service
Award. “The ICAF has had a positive
impact in the Marshall Islands by allowing us to become
involved,
and giving us
a head start in re-thinking how we can further the arts.” -
First Lady Mary Note of the Marshall Islands (11/09/03) “The positive message of peace
and hope promoted by the International Child Art Foundation
is commendable
and worthy of great recognition.” - Lt. Gen. Joseph
Cosumano, Jr., Commanding General, US Army Space and Missile
Defense Command (11/02/03) “I am grateful to organizations
like the International Child Art Foundation that gives
us the opportunity to see
the world through the eyes of our nation’s young
people. I encourage you to continue to support programs
that help children to discover their talents and believe
in themselves.” - First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
(06/29/99) “On behalf of the Congressional
Arts Caucus, we applaud your efforts to promote child
art
globally.”
- Rep. Louise M. Slaughter and Rep. Stephen Horn (01/05/98) Donations from creative and concerned individuals are
the primary source of funding for the ICAF. Your support
for stimulating creativity of every child on the planet
is appreciated. The ICAF is 501(c)(3) nonprofit and member
of Children’s Charities of America. Donations by
U.S. citizens and residents are tax-deductible to the full
extend allowable by law. If you are a U.S. federal government
employee, the ICAF’s CFC# for 2007 is 12018. To make
a donation to stimulate children’s creativity, please click
here…
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