What do you get when you combine ten IRI team members, ten artists, and fifty children, all working together creatively and joyfully? You get an amazing work of collaborative art that will be on prominent display in our offices in Piraeus, Greece.
The workshop took place on 23 November at SOS Children’s Villages in Kypseli, Athens. SOS Children’s Villages, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is the largest non-governmental organization dedicated to the long-term care of orphaned and abandoned children across the globe.
The interactive art event was the brainchild of M art, which has been active in the cultural field since 1996. It was founded by Andreas and Eugenia Manolioudakis, two siblings who have always thought of art as a vessel for the exchange of ideas; M art was among the first to recognize the value of art in education, organizing art and technology workshops for young children and adolescents.
M art’s artistic team is composed of experienced teachers, artists, and museum professionals. First the artists, children, and IRI staff members got to know one another, to develop a spirit of teamwork. Then they were divided into teams, painting and decorating a sculpture of a shipping vessel by artist Antonis Kastrinakis.
After that, children created personal paintings on sea-related subjects related to the sea, inspired by works of famous Greek painters, which the children were able to take home with them. The kids, artists, and IRI team enjoyed lunch together and took photos.
