VSA arts and the U.S. Department of Education Present

November 12, 2009

Windows: Looking out, Looking in
An Exhibition of Children’s Artwork from around the World

WASHINGTON, D.C. - VSA arts and the U.S. Department of Education present Windows: Looking out, Looking in, an international children’s art exhibition on display at the Department of Education Lyndon Baines Johnson Education Building from November 16 through the month of December. Windows: Looking out, Looking in celebrates International Education Week and is open to the public. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the exhibition takes place at 11:00 a.m. on November 16.

The artwork selected for the exhibition was created by students participating in ArtLink, VSA arts’ international classroom exchange program. Through ArtLink, students create artwork and exchange their works with an international partner classroom. This year students were asked to think about a view through a window and illustrate what a person would see.

“ArtLink invites students to reflect on their own lives and to discover the richness of their partner classroom’s culture,” remarks VSA arts president Soula Antoniou. “Through the exchange of artwork, there’s also an exchange of ideas, perceptions, and traditions.”

“International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and Department of Education from November 16–20, promotes programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States,” comments U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “Both International Education Week and the ArtLink program share a commitment to promoting deeper understanding among cultures, which is also the mission of my Department’s Student Art Exhibit Program. We are proud to have VSA arts as a partner in this endeavor every year.”

The exhibition includes the work of U.S. students from Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Vermont, as well as students from Argentina, Bermuda, Cambodia, Chile, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.

Antoniou and the Department’s Jennifer Sheehy, Director of the Office of Policy & Planning in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Sambia Shivers-Barclay, Manager of the International Visitors Program in the International Affairs Office, and David Hoff, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Communications and Outreach, will preside at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 16. The program will include students from VSA arts of Virginia, Loudoun County performing both popular and original music.

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Education Building is located at 400 Maryland Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. Members of the media and public are welcome to reserve their attendance at the exhibition’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and to inquire about more event details by calling Marilyn Joyner at (202) 401-1669. For more information about the exhibition, please call (202) 628-2800 or visit http://iew.state.gov/.

About VSA arts
VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year 7 million people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information about VSA arts, visit www.vsarts.org

From June 6–12, 2010, VSA arts—the premier arts and disability organization—will bring together artists, educators, researchers, and policymakers with disabilities from around the world for a multicultural celebration of the arts and arts education. Held in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Festival will feature a dazzling array of visual, performing, literary, and media artists. The guest list includes more than 2,000 people, including VSA arts’ 54 international affiliates, its U.S. network, and audience members from all corners of the globe.

About the U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education's Student Art Exhibit Program, now in its sixth year under the direction of the Office of Communications and Outreach and the Office of Innovation and Improvement, features visual art created by students in U.S. and international schools, and provides students and teachers the opportunity to display creative work from the classroom in a highly public space in order to honor this work as an effective path to learning and knowledge for all. The works also provide Department employees and visitors with both a beautiful environment and the means to be in touch with the Department's principal customers—students. Contact Marilyn Joyner at 202-401-1669 or at marilyn.joyner@ed.gov to visit the exhibits, to arrange for an exhibit or to learn more about the program.

Contact:

Laura Broom/VSA arts
(202) 628-2800, ext. 3883
ljbroom@vsarts.org