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Junior school children’s paintings to go on display in the Royal Academy on World Sight Day for charity

Three children, who are perhaps the youngest painters to have ever had work displayed by the Royal Academy of Arts, are attending a prestigious awards ceremony there on World Sight Day (12th October). Their paintings, inspired by their favourite sights, beat 10,000 other aspiring young artists from across the UK to win the Junior Painter of the Year Awards. UK charity Sightsavers International holds the awards in association with the Royal Academy to raise awareness of childhood blindness in developing countries and encourage the use of paint in Primary school art classes.

Stephanie O’Connell aged five from Portsmouth won the infants category. Nathan Num from London aged nine won the Lower Junior category. Daisy Brookes aged eleven from Hertfordshire won the Upper Junior category. Fifty children’s paintings in all were short-listed and have made it to the Royal Academy Café where they will be on display for most of October.

As well as the three winners getting to see their work on display when they attend the awards ceremony at the Royal Academy on World Sight Day, the schools from which they are selected also win a visit from an experienced artist who will give a teaching session for aspiring young painters. World Sight Day is an international event aimed at raising awareness of avoidable blindness.

The Royal Academy has joined Sightsavers in this unique collaboration due to its commitment to exploring new, creative ways to work with schools and teachers to bring art into the lives of more children. The Royal Academy is particularly passionate about the use of paint in Primary schools, a medium sometimes neglected despite young children’s acute ability to express themselves in this medium.

Caroline Harper, Chief Executive of Sightsavers International said:
‘The exhibition of the children’s colourful, imaginative paintings of their favourite sights at the Royal Academy, a place one would normally associate with fine art, is a real celebration of the gift of sight. Sightsavers hopes that by working in this exciting collaboration with the Royal Academy we can significantly raise awareness of the issue of childhood blindness. The challenge facing Sightsavers and our local partners is formidable. Every sixty seconds another child loses their sight.’

Maurice Cockrill, the Keeper of the Royal Academy of Arts said:
‘Paint is a fantastic medium for infants and juniors who have none of the inhibitions and preconceptions of their older siblings. They can express themselves freely in a way really only possible in paint. I sincerely hope these new national awards will encourage the use of paint in school whilst raising awareness of childhood blindness.’

Sightsavers is working through local partners in over thirty countries to prevent blindness amongst children and restore sight. There are 1.4 million children around the world who are blind and nine out of ten children who are blind in the developing world miss out on school. The major causes of childhood blindness are vitamin A deficiency and cataracts.

The Junior Painter of the Year Awards exhibition can be viewed in the Royal Academy Public Café from the 6th - 26th October 2006 – also available online www.sightsavers.org. Teachers or schools who would like to receive information about Junior Painter of the Year Awards 2007 should call: 01444 446727 or email jmitchell@sightsavers.org

 

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For further information, photos of winners and their art, contact James Georgalakis on 01444 44 66 71/86 or Michelle Akande on 01444 44 66 55 or 07775 928253. press@sightsavers.org

For the RA Press Office contact Jennifer Francis on 0207 3005611

 

Notes to editors:

1. The three winners and their teachers will be going on a flight on the BA London Eye on the morning of the 12th October and then in the afternoon attending an awards ceremony in the Royal Academy Schools, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly London W1J OBD. Any media wishing to attend must contact : press@sightsavers.org
2. Sightsavers International works in over 30 developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and improve life for those who will never see.
3. In addition to the 37 million people who are blind in the world, 161 million people are visually impaired.
4. Since 1950, Sightsavers has restored sight to 5.5 million people and prevented blindness in 84 million.