content

Junior Painter of the Year 2006

Sightsavers teams up with the Royal Academy to ask Primary school kids to paint their favourite sights
 
Children from every Primary school in the UK are being invited to paint their favourite sight and the best entries will be put on public display by the Royal Academy of Arts. Sightsavers International has launched the Junior Painter of the Year Awards in association with the Royal Academy. The exhibition of winning paintings of favourite sights is being held around World Sight Day on October 12th and is intended to raise awareness of the scale of avoidable blindness worldwide.
 
The new Awards are part of Sightsavers schools programme and aim to both raise awareness of avoidable blindness and encourage the use of paint in Primary school art classes. As well as the winners getting to see their work on display when they attend the awards ceremony at the Royal Academy, the schools from which they are selected will also receive a visit from an experienced artist who will give a teaching session for aspiring young painters.
 
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. This will be the first time the Academy has exhibited young children’s paintings in this way.
 
Caroline Harper, Chief Executive of Sightsavers International said:
‘I cannot wait to see all the kids’ colourful, imaginative paintings of their favourite sights on display at a place normally associated with ambitious exhibitions of fine art. Sightsavers hopes that by working in this exciting collaboration with the Royal Academy we can significantly raise awareness of the issue of avoidable blindness. The challenge facing Sightsavers and our local partners is formidable. Every 5 seconds, one person goes blind and a child goes blind every minute.’
 
Maurice Cockrill, the Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools 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 avoidable blindness.’
 
Entries must be sent to Sightsavers by the 24th July. Schools or parents who wish to receive a information pack should call 0870 240 1640 or go to www.sightsavers.org
 
Ends
 
For further information contact James Georgalakis on 01444 44 66 71/86 or Michelle Akande on 01444 44 66 55 or 07775 928253. press@sightsavers.org

 

Statistics

Working with partners last year, we helped to:

  • Treat over 15.7 million people for potentially blinding conditions
  • Restore the sight to 233,203 people

Related Information

  • It costs just £67 for a primary education braille kit