To honor the 100th Anniversary of the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, the Al Oerter Foundation (with their Art of the Olympians and Paralympians artists), The Pierre de Coubertin Family Association, The United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum, and the City of Colorado Springs have invited students from Eagleview Middle School to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games United School Project.
At the middle school level, this project consists of a competition based around the theme "Moving History Forward Through the Arts: The Olympic and Paralympic Story from 1924-2024". The goal is for students to create artwork that makes connections between historical Olympics and those of today. The artwork is intended to be inclusive and celebratory, highlighting a variety of athletes as well as the Olympic values of optimism, respect, and friendship.
To guide students through their creative process, Eagleview has been partnered with a former UK Olympic javelin thrower, Roald Bradstock, who is now a professional artist dubbed the "Olympic Picasso". On Wednesday, he met via Zoom with Mrs. Busler's students to share his creative process with them. His work is highly symbolic and representational, combining historical artifacts, famous works of art, Olympic colors and icons, and--of course--sport. For example, his work, Tom Petranoff 4, draws on the color palate of ancient Grecian pottery but includes colorful nods to the red, yellow, green, blue, and black of today's Olympic rings. The geometric shapes in the background are taken from Grecian mosaics but also reference modern QR codes. The figure featured is Tom Petranoff, who broke the world record with a 99.72 meter throw in 1983, at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. The staggered representation of Petranoff's movement was inspired both by ancient Grecian pottery and the Cubist painting "Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2" by French artist Marcel Duchamp. Hearing Mr. Bradstock speak about all of the planning that goes into his work was truly fascinating!
EMS Students will have the opportunity to meet with Mr. Bradstock at least once more during this process, and they have also been partnered with students in Paris, France who they hope to be able to connect with to share ideas. When the contest ends in March, the top five pieces from EMS will be sent to be judged, with a gold, silver, and bronze, medal being awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place artwork. The medals will be awarded by Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco at the 7th Arrondissement's Mayor's Office in Paris on May 15, 2024. The ceremony will be at 9:00am local time, and we are hoping to set up a live stream. Outstanding art will be displayed in person at the American Embassy in Paris, while digital copies of the art will be displayed at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum here in town.
This is a truly exciting opportunity for global collaboration among all of the young artists participating!