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PRESS RELEASE
(February 16, 2012)
The Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum International Art Contest of The Gabarron Foundation awards its Winners
Mary DuPont, of the United States, and Yu Chen Lan, from China, have been declared the winners of the Child and Youth categories of the 34th annual International Children’s Art Contest of the Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum (QSCAM) of The Gabarron Foundation. Spaniards Candela Albareda and Natalia Asensio have won the Iberia Child and Youth awards, respectively. The jury convened on Thursday, February 9 in New York and upon careful deliberation the results were announced during the closing ceremony of the International Year of Forests 2011 at the United Nations, which can be viewed via the United Nations’ website (http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/). The 34th Edition of the International Children’s Art Contest is sponsored by the United Nations International Secretariat of Forests and by Iberia.
The winners will receive their prizes during ceremonies that will soon be held at The Gabarron Foundation in New York and in Valladolid. The winning artworks were selected from among 250 Semi-Finalist artworks, a fraction of the nearly 2,000 artworks submitted in total for the Contest’s 34th Edition. An exhibition of the 250 Semi-Finalist artworks will be presented at the Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum, which is permanently located at The Foundation in Valladolid.
The Gabarron Foundation – Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum will publish a catalogue in addition to planned events. The catalogue will present reproductions of the 250 Semi-Finalist artworks, and will feature a special section for the Contest winners.
The 2011 contest theme, “Celebrate the Forests,” references the resolution of the U.N. General Assembly that declared 2011 as the International Year of the Forests in order to increase awareness of sustainable management, preservation and development of the world’s forests.
The 34th Edition’s objective is to promote awareness, beginning with children, of the necessity to safeguard the world’s forests for present and future generations. Children’s art is a marvelous vehicle that can be used to educate children about the forests’ importance as a refuge for people and animals, habitats of biodiversity, and sources for food and medicine.
“Celebrate the Forests” inspired young artists between the ages of 5 and 14 to participate from 50 countries around the world.
The young artists completed works on paper or poster-board in an A4 or letter size format. The material or process was one of free choice: watercolor, acrylic, oil, colored pencil, marker, ink, collage and wax.
The Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum of The Gabarron Foundation was founded in 2002 and inaugurated by Her Majesty, the Museum’s Honorary President. QSCAM is the first children’s art museum with permanent headquarters in Spain. The Museum houses, guards, exhibits and studies a legacy that has already reached 50,000 works of art. Organization of this children’s art collection began in 1973, originating from the Amade-Spain Children’s International Art Contest.
The jury for the 34th Edition of the QSCAM International Children’s Art Contest – Jan McAlpine, Director of the United Nations International Secretariat of Forests; Salvador Andrés Ordás, Art History professor at The University of Valladolid; Ms. Elena Cabezut, Deputy Director of the Cultural Institute of Mexico; Spring Dautel, Associate Director of Haunch of Venison; Nieves Barnuevo, Fundación Casa Pintada; Pablo Durantez, Comité Internacional Pierre de Cubertain; Julio César García, Curator of la Fundación Gabarrón; Rosmy Gabarrón, Director of the Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum; July Casas, Museo Fundación Cristóbal Gabarrón; Demian Mota, Cultural Manager; Elena Santoliquido, Artist; Rafael Barajas, Communications Director of Iberia; and Berta Valverde, Director of Corporate Sponsorship of Iberia – chose to give the following awards:
CHILD:
- First Prize: Mary DuPont, 9 years old, Los Angeles, United States.
- Second Prize: Eva Sánchez Ramos, 7 years old, Monterrey, Mexico.
- Third Prize: Pedro Esteban López, 6 years old, Jaen, Spain.
- Jury’s Honorable Mention: Anagha Anil Hirlekar, 9 years old, India; and Lau Kin Gi, 6 years old, China.
YOUTH:
- First prize: Yu Chen Lan, 14 years old, Hong Kong, China.
- Second Prize: Ferica Raalima, 11 years old, Jakarta, Indonesia.
- Third Prize: John Hammerman, 12 years old, Miami, United States.
- Jury’s Honorable Mention: Laura Cañadilla, 13 years old, Spain; and Lada Maslovets, 10 years old, Bielorrusia.
IBERIA CHILD:
- First Prize: Candela Albareda Suárez, 9 years old, Spain.
IBERIA YOUTH:
- First Prize: Natalia Asensio Osuna, 14 years old, Spain.
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