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SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES YOUNG ARTISTS SHOWCASE WINNERS
Youth Connect Global Communities and Advocate for Peace Through Artwork

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2006
Media Contact: Amanda Straub, 202.347.8630, communications@sister-cities.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In this time of war and poverty, hatred and bigotry, young people are calling for peace and diplomacy through art. Organizers say that this year's entries in the Sister Cities International Showcase of Young Artists represent visions of hope and encouragement.

"The art showcase is an important venue to express youth commitment to global citizenship," said Tim Honey, executive director at Sister Cities International. "It involves hundreds of young people around the world in envisioning a more peaceful world. It goes one step further, by asking young people to see themselves as influencers and builders of that world."

The competition is designed for youth ages 13-18. The theme for this year's event was, "What does global citizenship look like?" This year's 14 winners hail from around the globe and were picked from 87 entries.

Allison Knapp from Red Wing, Minnesota won with a three-dimensional collage called "Realization of Depth." The collage includes magazine pictures and artist's original photographs from Morocco, showing that "everyone belongs somewhere, which makes us all national citizens because we can belong to more than one place, race or community." Local media contact: Bertha Madtson, 651.388.6648, mcreekvi@redwing.net.

Wu Jiahao from Chengdu, China, sister city of Phoenix, Arizona won with a painting called "Join the Fun." The painting is of six children riding a rollercoaster with expressions showing their excitement and happiness. Local media contact: Misty Cisneros, 602.534.7359, Misty.Cisneros@phoenix.gov.

Kady King from Mount Dora, Florida won with a drawing called "Global Family Tree." In this piece, King drew a tree in which the leaves are flags of the world, and the roots at the trunk are things "that every nation shares and has in common with others, like the sun, moon, music, art and helpfulness." Local media contact: Rebecca Marek, 352.735.1078, becky-marek@yahoo.com.

Elliot Wilson Cost of Maui County, Hawaii won with a DVD called "D.T. Fleming Arboretum." The DVD is a documentary recognizing one of Maui's global citizens, Martha Vockrodt, for her efforts to save the rare "alani" tree from extinction. Vockrodt's grandfather, D.T. Fleming, planted an arboretum for native Hawaiians. "She truly demonstrates how one person can benefit our planet through global citizenship" wrote Cost. Local media contact: Mayor Alan Arakawa, 808.270.7710, lynn.araki@co.maui.hi.us.

Chie Tamezane of Yao City, Osaka, Japan, sister city of Bellevue, Washington won with a mixed media piece called "Towards the New World." Tamezane expresses global citizenship by having sad people walk to a new world surrounded by flowers, butterflies, birds and smiling children. Local media contact: Hugh Burleson, 425.746.9675, hburleson@att.net.

Tyler B. Ruff of Waterloo, Illinois won with a drawing called "One." This drawing features two hands engaging in a handshake, surrounded by an olive branch, flags of many nations, a soldier, an Iraqi woman who just voted, a globe, and firefighters. Local media contact: Deborah Cummins, 618.939.3674, dcummins@htc.net.

Erin Jackson of North Canterbury, New Zealand, sister city of Seattle, Washington won with an airbrush on canvass called "Global Citizenship - More than a Badge." The piece represents global citizenship with a person running and reaching for the globe. Local media contact: Rachel Jacobsen, 206.527.1896, jacobsen2@earthlink.net.

Saori Wakabayashi of Narashino, Japan, sister city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama won with a colored pencil drawing called "Opinion of World." This is a detailed drawing of the globe in the shape of a hand, pointing to flags of the world, also in the shape of hands. The artist created this drawing with the wish that the world would be "peaceful and equal." Local media contact: Lisa Keyes, 205.469.2183, lykeyes@dbtech.net.

Dain Williams of Tempe, Arizona won with a charcoal drawing called "On the Bench." The drawing is of two people of different cultural backgrounds sitting on a bench, each listening to one earpiece of an iPod. The artist was inspired to create the piece by the Tempe Sister City program "and its desire to bring the world closer together." Local media contact: Robin D. Sprague, 602.616.9297, wfsprague@aol.com.

Patrick Riney & Jonathan Alvarez of Fort Worth, Texas won with a DVD called "One Nation under Barcode," which features eight teens proclaiming "I am a global citizen." Each teen then shows the camera the barcode affixed to their person, with the end of the film asking "How about now?" Local media contact: Irene Chase, 817.392.2650, irene@fwsistercities.org.

Tama's Horva'th of Budapest, Hungary, sister city of Fort Worth, Texas won with a DVD called "When..." This film is a collage of photographs and video showing global citizens. Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9 in D Minor" and excerpts from various poems read in Hungarian, with English subtitles, play in the background. "Global citizenship has always been a desire of humanity, but nowadays it might be a closer, personal opportunity for everyone." Local media contact: Irene Chase, 817.392.2650, irene@fwsistercities.org.

Yo Yoshida of Izumo City, Japan, sister city of Santa Clara, California won with a graphic design piece called "Go to Complete Oblivion." The artwork shows three people of different cultural backgrounds engaging in modern technology such as iPods and cellphones. The artist says "I think people live their lives to their fullest. However, people today are selfish and don't know how to cooperate with each other." Local media contact: Andrew Ratermann, 408.244.4548, aratermann@sbcglobal.net.

Kim McKeown & Aaron Larue of Santa Clarita, California won with a DVD called "An Untainted Future." This documentary explores how children have "an untainted innocence" by interviewing a kindergarten class. "It is up to us to instill tolerance and acceptance in the next generation by setting a good example." Local media contact: Bill Bolde, 661.510.1084, wbolde@hartdistrient.org.

Gabor Kerekes of Debrecen, Hungary, sister city of New Brunswick, New Jersey won with a painting called "Global Society, The Unity of Diversity." Brown, red, green and yellow abstract shapes fill this piece, representing the artist's belief that "art still has the power to teach morals, give hope, and 'open up' the eyes of the world "for a better future." Local media contact: Jane Tublin, 732.745.5174, tublinjane@yahoo.com.

Submitted entries were on display at Washington, D.C.'s historic Union Station in the beginning of July. Winning entries will go on tour in ten communities, starting in St. Charles, Missouri on September 15.

The Union Station exhibit was enjoyed by visitors and commuters alike. "It made my spirit smile. I've seen many works of art, but I've never felt so compelled to try to contact an artist to simply say thank you for seeing what you saw and showing that to me," wrote Washington, D.C. commuter, Rick Mastroianni to "On the Bench" artist Dain Williams.

A panel of judges evaluated the entries based on theme interpretation, composition and originality.

Since 1988, the Showcase of Young Artists has encouraged youth from around the world to express the mission of Sister Cities International through artwork.

About Sister Cities International
Representing more than 2,500 communities in 134 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Begun in 1956 after a White House summit where U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for people-to-people exchanges, sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs.