President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush to Serve as Honorary Chairs for the 2004 International VSA arts Festival

March 31, 2004

Festival to be launched April 20th with poster signing by artist Lanham Bundy

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 31 2004 - President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush have agreed to serve as the Honorary Chairs of the 2004 International VSA arts Festival. The 2004 International VSA arts Festival will take place at multiple locations in Washington D.C., June 9 - 12 and coincides with VSA arts' celebration of its 30th anniversary.

"We are tremendously pleased and honored to have President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush serve as Honorary Chairs of this important international event," says Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. "Their dedication to and support of the arts and education reflect the vital importance of the arts in our nation's schools and communities."

The Festival will be launched on April 20th in the entrance atrium of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. To celebrate the launch, Rhode Island artist Lanham Bundy will be present to sign posters produced from her artwork, Hollow Victory, the official image for the Festival. The original painting, which is oil on wood, was created by the artist in 2001. A limited number of signed posters will be made available to the general public during this event.

Lanham Bundy is one of VSA arts' 12 International Fellows. As a child, Bundy was fascinated by a family-owned children's encyclopedia that included a volume on art history. She would make replicas of period furniture out of cardboard and scraps for her dollhouse, and stare at reproductions of the frescoes from Pompeii. These subjects were archetypes that would later resurface within her mixed media constructions. Bundy began to experience bi-polar disorder in high school and more severely in college. She graduated with a BFA with honors from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). During her progress as an artist, she has served as an instructor at RISD and VSA arts of Rhode Island, and worked as a scenic artist and art critic. Bundy's career includes numerous one-person and group exhibits throughout the Northeast.

Held every five years, the 2004 International VSA arts Festival will include artistic performances, exhibitions, and educational seminars in venues throughout Washington, D.C., June 9-12. The premiere event of its kind, the Festival provides free and open access to top-quality arts experiences for artists and patrons alike. Performances will take place at a variety of venues, from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to Georgetown Waterfront Park, from Union Station to Farragut Square and Freedom Plaza. Visual artworks will be exhibited at Union Station, the Kennedy Center, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and the National Press Club. For more information, please visit www.vsartsfestival.org.

About VSA arts

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA arts is creating a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Nearly five million people with disabilities participate in VSA arts programs every year through a worldwide network of affiliates. For more information, please visit www.vsarts.org.

Media Contacts

Marcia Rhodes, VSA arts, 202-628-2800, marciar@vsarts.org
Chris Hill, The Rasky/Baerlein Group, 202-530-7702, chill@rasky.com

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