Art Competition for Children with Disabilities and Their Families Across Russia

This summer we support an inclusive art competition “I am an artist – this is how I see the world” - organised by the Moscow non-for-profit Koleso Obzreniya (‘Observation Wheel’) in partnership with 19 museums across Russia, including The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow), State Historical Museum (Moscow) and The State Russian Museum (Saint Petersburg). The project brings together more than 300 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and without.

Often children and young people SEND, face barriers to engaging in the mainstream cultural activities. The project aims to break this pattern and to make all children, regardless their needs and abilities, to feel welcome in an art museum, to participate in art workshops, to get inspired by the famous artworks and to unlock their unique ideas and creative skills. The project also encourages the development of the participants’ social skills, teamwork and family participation. It invites siblings of children with SEND, who may sometimes feel left out and lacking attention, to take part in the contest as well.

This year’s is the fourth edition of the project ‘I am an artist – this is how I see the world’. The theme this year is ‘The theatre of one artist’ and it encourages artistic interpretation of famous works of art that take theatre as their primary subject matter.

Throughout summer there is an open call for participants to submit their artworks. Every participant is invited to attend any of the twenty bespoke art workshops hosted by the partnering museums over the summer holidays. The workshops are led by artists, art therapists and museum specialists. Each workshop features unique content and aims at providing participants with new skills and artistic techniques that they can further develop at home.

The contest finishes in early autumn with an exhibition of artworks selected by a committee of museum specialists. The authors of the 20 best works will be awarded at the exhibition opening ceremony on 15 September 2019.

At ArtSocial Foundation we are thrilled to be the lead partner of this unique project of Koleso Obzorain that fulfils our objectives to promote the development of young people’s talents, encourage family participation, inspire further artistic learning and cultural engagement of young people, especially of those who face barriers due to SEND, and encourage inclusivity in the society through arts.