To all interested individuals and youth organizations worldwide:
This is an invitation for participation in a youth art exhibition for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. It will be organized by “International Paint Pals” in partnership with the Sochi Olympics Organizing Committee.
International Paint Pals (IPP) was founded by the Carter Presidential Center in 1995. We are now an independently incorporated non-governmental organization (NGO), headquartered in Atlanta, USA. For the past 17 years we have operated a worldwide children’s art program which has involved 150,000 kids in 75 countries. IPP has organized many international art and educational events for the United Nations, and we have held exhibitions for the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA (1996), Athens, Greece (2004), and Beijing, China (2008).
IPP is now an organizing partner for an exhibition of youth and children’s art for the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, in February, 2014. The theme of the exhibition will be “Peace and Friendship through the Olympic Spirit”.
We sincerely hope that you will be interested in inviting and helping children in your community to submit their art for this exhibition. Children from many places will come together in Sochi through their artworks at this world event in the name of friendship and peace.
Please contact schools, other youth organizations, and individuals in your community and ask them to participate. If you wish, you may ask others to contact me directly for more information and questions. And of course, I will welcome your comments and questions at any time also.
Our rules are few and simple, and all local organizers should do things their own way within these broad guidelines. International Paint Pals will be responsible for collecting paintings from as many countries as possible. We will receive the paintings at our headquarters in Atlanta, USA, where they will be evaluated by a committee of artists and art teachers. Selected works will be sent to Sochi for the exhibition. Our partner in Sochi, an arm of their Olympic Organizing Committee, will make the arrangements for an exhibition before and during the Games. Our previous exhibits have been very popular with the athletes as well as with thousands of spectators. Media coverage has been very good also.
Artistic quality is not the most important thing in our selection process. Expression of the theme, and ages of the artists, will be considered also. We will seek worldwide geographic distribution in order to have a balanced exhibition. We value participation more than competition. “Certificates of Recognition” will be awarded to all artists who send paintings, whether they are selected for the final exhibition or not. You may want to exhibit all the art in your local area before sending a selection of works to us.
The theme of the exhibition will be “Peace and Friendship through the Olympic Spirit”. Pictures may show various winter sports activities, as well as other scenes related to the theme of friendship and peace among young people of the world.
Basic rules for participation:
— Ages: 19 years or younger.
— Paintings should be on any kind of flat paper only; no thick board material or canvas.
— They should be a size that is convenient for mailing — but not to exceed approximately 46 by 61 centimeters (18 by 24 inches).
— They must be mailed flat or rolled, with no mats or frames.
— The sender must pay mailing expenses.
— Water colors, oil, acrylic, crayon, pencil, marker, pen, collage, and other techniques may be used.
— The subjects of the paintings must adhere to the exhibition’s theme.
— Each painting must identify the artist’s name, age, city, etc., and title of the painting on the back.
— 10 paintings should be selected by each organizer for mailing to IPP. We will provide you with on-line certificates that you can print and award to all participants in your group, whether you send their works or not.
— Your 10 paintings must then be sent directly to IPP as soon as
possible. See address below.
— Paintings must be mailed by September 1, 2013, or before.
— The paintings cannot be returned to the artists after the exhibition.
Please mail your 10 artworks to the following address by September 1, 2013, or before if possible:
Linden Longino (IPP)
3747 Peachtree Road, N. E.
Suite 1716
Atlanta, GA 30319
U.S.A.
You can take a look at images from our Beijing Olympics exhibition at: http://paintpals.org/china.php
(Click on one of the photos on the opening page to select either a two-page or one-page layout; then click on the little boxes at the bottom of the page that comes up.)
We look forward to your participation!
Please contact me directly if you need more information or have questions.
Thanking you in advance,
Linden Longino
Director, International Paint Pals
Tel.: 1-678-428-9039
InAEA 