THE KIND ‘ARTED

JUNIOR CITIZENS MEDIA UNITStreet Address

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BRIEF SUMMARYTHE KIND ARTED is an exhibition of a collection of exquisitely expressed paintings drawn by a group of passionate, visually impaired young citizens at Kala Bhavana, including a finale of exhibits of various eye-opening entities .Proceeds will go to the beneficial development of the group of young artists.

IN DETAILThe visually impaired youth will mainly be picked from the Ceylon school for the deaf and blind. Any individual that are willing to join and provide us with their paintings are welcome to do so.

The age group is not restricted to a certain category, although we are hoping to mostly gather children to give them a chance to express themselves on a canvas. But we are willing to also give a chance to young adults who have a passion in showcasing their talents. We are also interested in recruiting any visually impaired university students that may be interested.

The visually impaired will be divided into 2 categories.

1. Youth that are blind from birth

2. Youth that have become blind later in life

The project managers along with a few artists will meet with the younglings and talk to each of them to get a thorough understanding of their unique life story. We will be making profiles on all of them that will include pictures, videos details of their story, thoughts, beliefs, advice, goals, dreams, and achievements and so on. These will also be up to be seen next their exhibits .We are planning to play games, sing songs, motivate them and make a fun day of it

Through understanding the individuality of the soon to be artists, we will be providing them with the guidelines on how the portraits should be drawn. For some, there will be no guidelines or rules.

All the stationary including the canvases, paint brushes and colors will be provided of their hearts desire.

After the portraits are drawn they will be framed and given an appropriate place in the exhibition along with the details of the artists.

It will be an open exhibition where everyone will be welcome to participate in, along with a few invited guests that will grace us with their presence.

A specific time will be kept for introduction of the special guests and they will kindly give us a few words on their thoughts on the exhibition and the portraits of our passionate artists.

The audience, special guests and media outlets will have a chance to meet and greet the owners of the painting and discuss their future endeavors.

Guests will be allowed to make donations that will be given to shape the futures of the young kids for years to come.

The whole exhibition will be recorded and various Media outlets will cover the whole event.

After a few nourishing refreshments the exhibition will come to an end.

THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

In a world of self-importance, narcissistic tendencies ,seemingly huge problems, maximum exterior with minimalist minds, inflated interior with maximum lies, nothing of real value, everything of a fake facade,

multiple PHD’s but not a single glance at the fellow human, focused differences, blurred similarities, .,Wars between tiny details with a hope of a false eternity, we should stream upwards in this endless river flowing downwards, to practice the mind’s eye to see the bigger picture of what a tiny little speck we really are in the universe and how little we actually know of it.

The main purpose of THE KIND ARTED project is to give the audience an in-depth look at how the blind experience and express both the tangible and the intangible. It is a wondrous and curious thing that we have all pondered. With a swift contrast to photography and various other exhibits of unseeable and unknown entities even to the people with the gift of sight, to conclude in a grand finale that they are no more different from the visually impaired and that seeing is not actually, believing. A humbling experience, it will surely be.

It is time that we change the way we look at things with a clear and unpolluted vision. It is time we looked beyond what appears at face value. From this generation to our younger generation who will one day become the ones that will shape this world. The ones with the only power to turn it around from the destructive path that its going towards. With THE KIND ARTED, we give them the gift of sight.

BLIND LIGHTSYoung kids with disabilities are forgotten and not recognized to be a force to be reckoned with in the society and are perceived In the world as feeble and delicate. They are always thought of as group of individuals who are in dire need of help of the population with the gift of sight,when in fact they are

known to be energetic,creative,complicated, diverse and much more keen when it comes to other senses .

Kind Arted will give them the perfect opportunity and a platform to showcase their talents and gain exposure to shape and form their futures with the experience they are likely to gain.This will also give them a chance to meet with important people,talk to them and share their experiences and tell their sotries to the whole world. They will become stars of the event.

There is a lot to learn from anybody if you look close enough. There is more to be learned from the lives of the differently abled than some who do have eyes but is yet blind. Lessons of humility, courage and dedication are hard to come by. Let’s celebrate all of humanity through THE KIND ARTED.

ABOUT THE JUNIOR CITIZENS CLUB OF SRI LANKA

OBJECTIVES IN BULLETSTo find talent in the most unsuspecting corners of the society

Give visually impaired kids a chance to branch out and learn something for themselves from experience

To give them a platform to share their stories with the world

To give them a chance to meet new people that would be beneficial for their future

To give the audience a chance to learn lessons that are much needed in life

To give the audience guidance to think freely

To give the audience a fresh perspective on the world

To teach our children the importance of respect, humility and peace

To gather enough proceeds that can make a difference in the lives of the artists.

PROJECT DETAILS

CATEGORIES OF THE PAINTINGSFor the group of kids that are blind from birth will be given to draw paintings on a few categories such as

• Something tangible like a tree or a rainbow

• Something intangible like love or peace or something they felt

• Anything they feel like drawing

• Dreams they have had

• Portraits of themselves

• Portraits of people like a loved one or a famous person or a group of people

• A letter that he/she writes to a certain person

For the group of kids that weren’t blind from birth will be given to draw paintings such as

• Something they have seen and remember vividly

• Something intangible like love or warmth

• Anything that comes to mind

• Dreams they have had

• Portraits of themselves

• Portraits of people like a loved one or a deity

Colors and the materials will be given to the kids based on their individual preference .The paint material will standard () The Profiles of the children will be on display next to each portrait.

INDIVIDUAL PROFILEThe individual profiles of each artist will highlight each painting give it a profound back-story. It will consist of

• The name, age and school

• Pictures and Videos

• Details of their life story and the story behind the painting

• Thoughts

• Beliefs

• Advice they might have for us

• Goals in life

• Dreams both literal and metaphorical

• Achievements

• Influences

• Interests

• Anything they have to say

PROJECT VENUE We are hoping for either Kala Bhavana or Lional Wendt for the venue. A sleek white walled environment would be ideal. (much like the interior of the USS enterprise in star trek,2009 which can also be considered the theme)With plenty of lights to highlight the paintings enough space to display the individual profiles of each artist and other exhibits. The exhibition will have two sections.

1. The blind lights section consisting of the artwork by the visually impaired

2. The Finale with photography, portraits and banners that will end in a high note

If the venue does provide chairs, the Project managers will find chairs for the guests and the specials guests to sit down for speeches at the end of the event. Speeches will be given by a couple of very important personalities, artists and the artists themselves.

Refreshments will be provided for the guests and the venue would be cleaned up afterwards.

Space would be needed for the sponsors to pin up their banners and posters. A small area will be given to the Principe sponsor for a live showcase

PROJECT BUDGET

TARGETED SPONSORSVision Care

Barefoot

Kent

Sarasavi

Ministry of Social Services

INVITEESLetters of Invitations will be sent to the following parties including a brief description of the project and the logos of the sponsors.

A few schools around the Colombo area will be invited including

• Royal College

• St.Thomas College

• St.Bridgets Convent

• Ladies college

Few actors and artists such as

• Kasun Kalhara

• Indrachapa

• Jackson Anthony

• Murali

Celebrities and VIP Guests

• Stephanie Siriwardane

• Namal Rajapakshe

MARKETINGA few media outlets will be notified of the event including neth FM,MTV and Derana TV

A few Newspaper articles will be printed on various newspapers including the Sunday Times

An online viral campaign will follow the Event

The website will be shared everywhere on cyberspace

A live marketing campaign will be in effect weeks before the event

DATES AND TIMES

THE PERSPETIVE OF THE OUTSIDE EYE

We aired theconcept and the idea of "the kind 'arted" to couple of people who have a proir knowledge about the art of expression in order to get comments about what they think of this project and to get expertise advice on how to execute our plan

Rebekha Senn, Art Student,What Art is to me?

I’ve been someone who has been absolutely passionate about drawing since I was a child, and to me art is the one thing that sets me free.

People across the world have various ways of getting their freedom; to some it is painting which gives them the ability to create their own little world. This is a kind of world where they are most comfortable, a world that is less chaotic and more meaningful.

As an Art student and from the exposure I have got from learning Art I think Art is a mode of expression of one’s feelings. As far as I can see, there is no right and wrong way in expressing oneself through art, hence there is no right and wrong in art, as art creates the space for you to unleash your imagination/creativity. Art also enables you to express yourself to others; there are absolutely infinite ways in which a person can express themselves; painting is one such beautiful way. I think the word “Art” has limitless possibilities; therefore it gives us the space let our imaginations run wild and create our

own little world. A person does not need to be talented to be able to paint; just about anyone can experiment with colors and designs. Sometimes art can’t be explained. It just must be felt. If this is so, then art must have its own language, as it is a means of communication through visual ideas, diverse colors, forms, shapes, space, art history, emotions and spirit and soul. In order to understand the language of art, one must train oneself to look, think and feel. It’s all about one’s perception of everything.

I think this project done by the Junior citizen’s club in Sri lanka for the visually impaired will be a blessing to the painters as well as the viewers. in addition, I strongly believe that inviting the visually impaired to paint their feelings, emotions, the way they sense things around them, and how they perceive the world at large, will be a new experience for them. Usually aesthetic subjects such as “music” and “dance” are taught to the visually impaired. Nonetheless It would be great if they are also given an opportunity to experiment with “painting” for the purpose of experience and enjoyment as this would expand their knowledge of the other avenues of aesthetics and also reveal to them that some beautiful things in life cannot be seen, but felt by the heart. What they paint- the stories and emotions beautifully portrayed on the canvas can encourage and touch someone else’s life.

Every painting/drawing has a beautiful story to tell. Therefore to appreciate an artwork you don’t have to be a creative person. You just have to look at someone’s work of art and try to understand what they are trying to say, what they feel, and how they see the world, because every art work has a beautiful, and unique story. This story may not necessarily appear as a long narration or statement of any evident event or experience; it just might simply be something as small as a strong emotion unleashed. The beauty of any art is purely in the eyes of the beholder!

Once you start to enjoy art, just you and the blank canvas can explore new dimensions. Art gives you space to paint your own reality. People may not always understand what you create or what you paint but I guess that’s ok because no one really understood great painters at the time they were engaging in painting, but many years later, time itself taught everyone how to find beauty in these works of art. Vincent Van Gogh despite the total neglect he suffered in life, felt free to live in his world of art, and his works were strong, brave and very personal. During his lifetime his paintings were not appreciated or understood, but today it is of high value and greatly applauded. An artist can paint their feelings. To Pablo Picasso, painting was just another way of keeping a diary, to Vincent Van Gogh painting was the one thing that made him feel alive, to Salvador Dali while painting he had no concept of perfection because he believed it can never be reached in art, and Claude Monet didn’t expect anyone to understand his art because he thought no one will be able to understand it, he just wanted them to love what they saw.

This exhibition of the art works done by the visually impaired citizens of Kala Bhavana will not only touch the hearts of the viewers but also be a blessing to the painters. I think this project will be a learning curve to many people as they learn the therapeutic effect art has on everyone. Painting definitely has a therapeutic effect. It can make you relax. People actually go for classes to learn how to paint, while others go for classes just to learn to unwind their minds. In some cases little children are given “art therapy” (this is a mode of expressing oneself through art) because they are too tiny to voice out their emotions, thoughts or even traumatic experiences they have gone through. Through art therapy they are given a voice. Here, in this case, art is a powerful means of healing. There’s enough time and space to create just about anything. The connection between the people drawing and the paintbrush is so powerful because it gives them the courage to create something new. Sometimes painting makes you feel brave as you can fearlessly release yourself.

Finally I’d like to say that everyone is born as creative and daring people, it is in experimenting and exploring the many possibilities in art that we can find out who we are as beings and in the process set ourselves free emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Janitha Rukmal,Visually Impaired Writer:

What I think and feel about ‘Kind Arted’The form of expression called ‘Art’ takes different approaches to reach out various audiences. Among these diverse approaches, the generic preference that’s ascribed for the persons with visual impairments is music. Some even tend to think there’s no other world void of music for the ‘blind’. Also there are others who firmly believe that blind people come to this world with the gift of extraordinary hearing ability and so that they could master music and only music in an outstanding manner. Maybe that’s why people remember Henry Caldera or Stevie Wonder when they come across a person with visual impairment but not Eşref Armağan, Mathew Lorentz or Giovanni Gonelli who have worked wonders with lines and colors in spite of their lapses in vision. Of course music is a wonderful and artistic form of expression enjoyed by many a person, but that should not necessarily limit the persons with visual impairments by any means when enjoying the aesthetics.

While growing up as a visually impaired child, a teen and an adult, I have been hearing various observations, stories, remarks, expressions of sympathy as well as empathy and downright insults which are aimed at blindness too. One such is the story about the different ways in which several ‘blind people’ perceived and described an elephant. This story is often used in Sri Lanka to highlight the fact that when one is lacking the proper vision in an ideological sense, that person tends to grip the wrong ends of the topic or the problem and misinterpret it. So the perception that’s thus unfolded through this story denotes that, attitudinally Sri Lankans are more inclined to believe that painting and art comprised of lines and colors, is a no-go zone for the persons with visual impairments. While people like Mark Cox are trying to increase the accessibility of their paintings for the visually impaired so that they are no longer deprived of enjoying the beauty of lines and colors through touch, in Sri Lanka and many other countries, persons with visual impairments have been sidelined in providing the necessary equity for them to be treated equals in the paradigm of arts and crafts.

That’s why when Ranush from the Junior citizens Club in Sri Lanka approached me with this idea to ask what I think of it , I was so thrilled to assist in anyway possible. Upon reading the proposal for this project I realized that the organizers have researched the conditions of blindness and the capacities of different individuals with visual impairments when determining the categories and the way of presentation to be adopted with regard to this exhibition known as ‘Kind Arted’. Categorizing the participants as the ones who have been born with their visual impairments and the others who have lost their vision later in life, is an astute move from the part of organizers so that the people who are sensitized through this exhibition would be given a clearer perspective on the different ways in which these two types of people perceive the world in general. Moreover, allowing them to draw the objects in the real world as they recognize them and going to the length of inviting the participants to paint feelings and emotions as they sense them, is a very innovative way to bring out the perspectives of the persons with visual impairments into spotlight.

The recognition and social awareness invoked through this great course, will carry a very strong message to the society about the talents and perspectives of the visually impaired, which is bound to have a great impact in shaping the attitude of the masses into a more positive and more realistic one. Therefore I feel very much obliged to commend this attempt of Junior Citizens Club in Sri Lanka with much hope and relish because of their thoughtful and concerned manner of fulfilling their responsibility as junior citizens who possess the capacity to see beyond the viewable range of the average person in conducting this exhibition.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE SPONSORSThe cost for the exhibition, Venue and the Marketing Material and Stationatry equipment will be covered by the sponsors.

BENFITS FOR THE SPONSORS Principle Sponsor (Amount)

• LOGO will be printed in every Media Advertisement and Marketing Campaign

• 6 Banners around the venue

• A live showcase at the venue

Main Sponsor (Amount)

• LOGO will be printed and shown in every Media Advertisement and Marketing Campaign

• 3 banners at the venue