Jurying around the world - GlobeTrotter

ChildArt, July-Sept, 2003 by Linda Vu, Elena Janker

Washington, DC

There were no Saturday morning cartoons for Camilla Younger, who walked into the International Child Art Foundation's (ICAF) conference room bright and early one morning in June.

Younger, President of the DC Art Education Foundation, was one of nine judges who sacrificed sleep and free time to sit around a big brown table. She had only one goal in mind, to help choose the winning artwork for the 2003 International ChildArt Festival in Washington, DC. The worldwide contestants ranged in age from eight to twelve. Their artwork reflected cultures from all over the world.

Together the judges sat for almost two hours, sifting through artwork. They were looking for creativity, imagination and how each piece incorporated the festival's theme, "Me in the New Millennium". Originality, composition, color, and visual balance were also taken into account.

Though sifting through over 700 applications may seem like very tedious work, the process was made somewhat easier by some countries holding their own competition beforehand. These preliminary contests, sponsored by ICAF's global partners, each produced one winner. In other cases, the judges had to decide on a winner. Some countries (Sri Lanka, for example) sent in over 130 applications. Russia sent 50 applications, and the Philippines sent 60.

There were also applications from across the United States. Over 825 applications were received in the United States alone, and thousands more were counted all over the world.

A special exhibit of the winning artwork will be on display at the National Mall during the 2003 International ChildArt Festival. This exhibit will allow contestants and spectators to share in the hopes, fears, and dreams of the new millennium.

This meeting of judges was the second in the process of deciding winners. Earlier this year, Amy Ione, Director of The Diatrope Institute, and Judith Burton, professor of Art and Humanities at Columbia University's Teachers College, also met to choose winners from another pool of applicants.

Jurying in Germany

What happens when you bring together a group of prominent artists and leading cultural experts to judge children's art? You end up with amazing, energetic discussions on children and their thoughts.

In order to select the German and Bulgarian finalists, ICAF Germany formed a panel of experts comprised of artists, painters, a psychologist, an art historian, an art magazine's publisher and people who deal with child art. The chairman of the panel was Mrs. Herlinde Koelbl, a world-famous art photographer. The criterion for selecting the jury were: a passion for child art, and extensive experience in judgement of art.

ICAF Germany organized the art competition for children in Bulgaria and Germany, and received more than 1000 entries! Five hundred were from Bulgaria, and more then 600 were from Germany. It was very difficult to select only one artwork among so many remarkable paintings.

Prior to the jurying, ICAF Germany selected together with a painter a short list of 300 artworks, in order to facilitate the jury's work. This pre-selection took 10 days' time. The jurors then met on May 7, 2003 from 8:30am to 1:00pm in the Clubroom of the Munich House of Artists. The jury did not quickly select the finalists, but instead extensively discussed each work. Every detail was taken into consideration, carefully analyzed and evaluated until eventually the artwork was either short-listed or turned down by a unanimous decision. After many hours two winners were chosen: Hristo Mrinov, 9 years old, of Bulgaria, and Alice Geist, 10 years old, of Germany.

"The imagination and the creativity of the children are inexhaustible and we adults can learn a lot from them. The problem is that we often tend to not hear what they say and to overlook what they show us. Every time I came across difficulties to implement ICAF's programs in Germany and Bulgaria, I would look at the artwork of the children and they powered me with energy to go on with my work."