THE KIND ARTED

JUNIOR CITIZENS MEDIA UNIT

Street Address

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BRIEF SUMMARY
THE KIND ARTED is an exhibition of a collection of exquisitely expressed
paintings drawn by a group of passionate, visually impaired young citizens at
Kala Bhavana, including a finale of exhibits of various eye-opening entities
.Proceeds will go to the beneficial development of the group of young artists.

IN DETAIL
The visually impaired youth will mainly be picked from the Ceylon school for
the deaf and blind. Any individual that are willing to join and provide us with
their paintings are welcome to do so.
The age group is not restricted to a certain category, although we are hoping
to mostly gather children to give them a chance to express themselves on a
canvas. But we are willing to also give a chance to young adults who have a
passion in showcasing their talents. We are also interested in recruiting any
visually impaired university students that may be interested.
The visually impaired will be divided into 2 categories.

1. Youth that are blind from birth

2. Youth that have become blind later in life
The project managers along with a few artists will meet with the younglings
and talk to each of them to get a thorough understanding of their unique life
story. We will be making profiles on all of them that will include pictures,
videos details of their story, thoughts, beliefs, advice, goals, dreams, and
achievements and so on. These will also be up to be seen next their
exhibits .We are planning to play games, sing songs, motivate them and
make a fun day of it
Through understanding the individuality of the soon to be artists, we will be
providing them with the guidelines on how the portraits should be drawn. For
some, there will be no guidelines or rules.
All the stationary including the canvases, paint brushes and colors will be
provided of their hearts desire.
After the portraits are drawn they will be framed and given an appropriate
place in the exhibition along with the details of the artists.
It will be an open exhibition where everyone will be welcome to participate in,
along with a few invited guests that will grace us with their presence.
A specific time will be kept for introduction of the special guests and they will
kindly give us a few words on their thoughts on the exhibition and the
portraits of our passionate artists.
The audience, special guests and media outlets will have a chance to meet
and greet the owners of the painting and discuss their future endeavors.

Guests will be allowed to make donations that will be given to shape the
futures of the young kids for years to come.
The whole exhibition will be recorded and various Media outlets will cover the
whole event.
After a few nourishing refreshments the exhibition will come to an end.

THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

In a world of self-importance, narcissistic tendencies ,seemingly huge
problems, maximum exterior with minimalist minds, inflated interior with
maximum lies, nothing of real value, everything of a fake facade, multiple
PHDs but not a single glance at the fellow human, focused differences,
blurred similarities, .,Wars between tiny details with a hope of a false eternity,
we should stream upwards in this endless river flowing downwards, to
practice the minds eye to see the bigger picture of what a tiny little speck we
really are in the universe and how little we actually know of it.
The main purpose of THE KIND ARTED project is to give the audience an indepth look at how the blind experience and express both the tangible and the
intangible. It is a wondrous and curious thing that we have all pondered. With
a swift contrast to photography and various other exhibits of unseeable and
unknown entities even to the people with the gift of sight, to conclude in a
grand finale that they are no more different from the visually impaired and
that seeing is not actually, believing. A humbling experience, it will surely be.
It is time that we change the way we look at things with a clear and
unpolluted vision. It is time we looked beyond what appears at face value.
From this generation to our younger generation who will one day become the
ones that will shape this world. The ones with the only power to turn it around
from the destructive path that its going towards. With THE KIND ARTED, we
give them the gift of sight.

BLIND LIGHTS
Young kids with disabilities are forgotten and not recognized to be a force to
be reckoned with in the society and are perceived In the world as feeble and
delicate. They are always thought of as group of individuals who are in dire
need of help of the population with the gift of sight,when in fact they are

known to be energetic,creative,complicated, diverse and much more keen

when it comes to other senses .
Kind Arted will give them the perfect opportunity and a platform to showcase
their talents and gain exposure to shape and form their futures with the
experience they are likely to gain.This will also give them a chance to meet
with important people,talk to them and share their experiences and tell their
sotries to the whole world. They will become stars of the event.
There is a lot to learn from anybody if you look close enough. There is more
to be learned from the lives of the differently abled than some who do have

eyes but is yet blind. Lessons of humility, courage and dedication are hard to
come by. Lets celebrate all of humanity through THE KIND ARTED.

ABOUT THE JUNIOR CITIZENS CLUB OF SRI LANKA

OBJECTIVES IN BULLETS
To find talent in the most unsuspecting corners of the society
Give visually impaired kids a chance to branch out and learn something for
themselves from experience
To give them a platform to share their stories with the world
To give them a chance to meet new people that would be beneficial for their
future
To give the audience a chance to learn lessons that are much needed in life
To give the audience guidance to think freely
To give the audience a fresh perspective on the world
To teach our children the importance of respect, humility and peace
To gather enough proceeds that can make a difference in the lives of the
artists.

PROJECT DETAILS
CATEGORIES OF THE PAINTINGS
For the group of kids that are blind from birth will be given to draw paintings
on a few categories such as

Something tangible like a tree or a rainbow

Something intangible like love or peace or something they felt

Anything they feel like drawing

Dreams they have had

Portraits of themselves

Portraits of people like a loved one or a famous person or a group of

people

A letter that he/she writes to a certain person

For the group of kids that werent blind from birth will be given to draw
paintings such as

Something they have seen and remember vividly

Something intangible like love or warmth

Anything that comes to mind

Dreams they have had

Portraits of themselves

Portraits of people like a loved one or a deity

Colors and the materials will be given to the kids based on their individual
preference .The paint material will standard () The Profiles of the children will
be on display next to each portrait.
INDIVIDUAL PROFILE
The individual profiles of each artist will highlight each painting give it a
profound back-story. It will consist of

The name, age and school

Pictures and Videos

Details of their life story and the story behind the painting

Thoughts

Beliefs

Advice they might have for us

Goals in life

Dreams both literal and metaphorical

Achievements

Influences

Interests

Anything they have to say

PROJECT VENUE
We are hoping for either Kala Bhavana or Lional Wendt for the venue. A sleek
white walled environment would be ideal. (much like the interior of the USS
enterprise in star trek,2009 which can also be considered the theme)With
plenty of lights to highlight the paintings enough space to display the
individual profiles of each artist and other exhibits. The exhibition will have
two sections.
1. The blind lights section consisting of the artwork by the visually impaired
2. The Finale with photography, portraits and banners that will end in a high
note
If the venue does provide chairs, the Project managers will find chairs for the
guests and the specials guests to sit down for speeches at the end of the
event. Speeches will be given by a couple of very important personalities,
artists and the artists themselves.
Refreshments will be provided for the guests and the venue would be cleaned
up afterwards.
Space would be needed for the sponsors to pin up their banners and posters.
A small area will be given to the Principe sponsor for a live showcase
PROJECT BUDGET

TARGETED SPONSORS
Vision Care
Barefoot
Kent
Sarasavi
Ministry of Social Services
INVITEES
Letters of Invitations will be sent to the following parties including a brief
description of the project and the logos of the sponsors.

A few schools around the Colombo area will be invited including

Royal College

St.Thomas College

St.Bridgets Convent

Ladies college

Few actors and artists such as

Kasun Kalhara

Indrachapa

Jackson Anthony

Murali

Celebrities and VIP Guests

Stephanie Siriwardane

Namal Rajapakshe

MARKETING
A few media outlets will be notified of the event including neth FM,MTV and
Derana TV
A few Newspaper articles will be printed on various newspapers including the
Sunday Times
An online viral campaign will follow the Event
The website will be shared everywhere on cyberspace
A live marketing campaign will be in effect weeks before the event

DATES AND TIMES

THE PERSPETIVE OF THE OUTSIDE EYE

We aired theconcept and the idea of "the kind 'arted" to couple of
people who have a proir knowledge about the art of expression in
order to get comments about what they think of this project and to
get expertise advice on how to execute our plan
Rebekha Senn, Art Student,
What Art is to me?
Ive been someone who has been absolutely passionate about drawing since
I was a child, and to me art is the one thing that sets me free.
People across the world have various ways of getting their freedom; to some
it is painting which gives them the ability to create their own little world. This
is a kind of world where they are most comfortable, a world that is less
chaotic and more meaningful.
As an Art student and from the exposure I have got from learning Art I think
Art is a mode of expression of ones feelings. As far as I can see, there is no
right and wrong way in expressing oneself through art, hence there is no right
and wrong in art, as art creates the space for you to unleash your
imagination/creativity. Art also enables you to express yourself to others;
there are absolutely infinite ways in which a person can express themselves;
painting is one such beautiful way. I think the word Art has limitless
possibilities; therefore it gives us the space let our imaginations run wild and
create our own little world. A person does not need to be talented to be able
to paint; just about anyone can experiment with colors and designs.
Sometimes art cant be explained. It just must be felt. If this is so, then art
must have its own language, as it is a means of communication through
visual ideas, diverse colors, forms, shapes, space, art history, emotions and
spirit and soul. In order to understand the language of art, one must train
oneself to look, think and feel. Its all about ones perception of everything.
I think this project done by the Junior citizens club in Sri lanka for the visually
impaired will be a blessing to the painters as well as the viewers. in addition, I
strongly believe that inviting the visually impaired to paint their feelings,
emotions, the way they sense things around them, and how they perceive the

world at large, will be a new experience for them. Usually aesthetic subjects
such as music and dance are taught to the visually impaired. Nonetheless
It would be great if they are also given an opportunity to experiment with
painting for the purpose of experience and enjoyment as this would expand
their knowledge of the other avenues of aesthetics and also reveal to them
that some beautiful things in life cannot be seen, but felt by the
heart. What they paint- the stories and emotions beautifully portrayed on the
canvas can encourage and touch someone elses life.
Every painting/drawing has a beautiful story to tell. Therefore to appreciate
an artwork you dont have to be a creative person. You just have to look at
someones work of art and try to understand what they are trying to say,
what they feel, and how they see the world, because every art work has a
beautiful, and unique story. This story may not necessarily appear as a long
narration or statement of any evident event or experience; it just might
simply be something as small as a strong emotion unleashed. The beauty of
any art is purely in the eyes of the beholder!
Once you start to enjoy art, just you and the blank canvas can explore new
dimensions. Art gives you space to paint your own reality. People may not
always understand what you create or what you paint but I guess thats ok
because no one really understood great painters at the time they were
engaging in painting, but many years later, time itself taught everyone how
to find beauty in these works of art. Vincent Van Gogh despite the total
neglect he suffered in life, felt free to live in his world of art, and his works
were strong, brave and very personal. During his lifetime his paintings were
not appreciated or understood, but today it is of high value and greatly
applauded. An artist can paint their feelings. To Pablo Picasso, painting was
just another way of keeping a diary, to Vincent Van Gogh painting was the
one thing that made him feel alive, to Salvador Dali while painting he had no
concept of perfection because he believed it can never be reached in art, and
Claude Monet didnt expect anyone to understand his art because he thought
no one will be able to understand it, he just wanted them to love what they
saw.
This exhibition of the art works done by the visually impaired citizens of Kala
Bhavana will not only touch the hearts of the viewers but also be a blessing
to the painters. I think this project will be a learning curve to many people as
they learn the therapeutic effect art has on everyone. Painting definitely has
a therapeutic effect. It can make you relax. People actually go for classes to
learn how to paint, while others go for classes just to learn to unwind their
minds. In some cases little children are given art therapy (this is a mode of
expressing oneself through art) because they are too tiny to voice out their
emotions, thoughts or even traumatic experiences they have gone through.
Through art therapy they are given a voice. Here, in this case, art is a
powerful means of healing. Theres enough time and space to create just
about anything. The connection between the people drawing and the

paintbrush is so powerful because it gives them the courage to create

something new. Sometimes painting makes you feel brave as you can
fearlessly release yourself.
Finally Id like to say that everyone is born as creative and daring people, it is
in experimenting and exploring the many possibilities in art that we can find
out who we are as beings and in the process set ourselves free emotionally,
mentally and spiritually.

Janitha Rukmal,Visually Impaired Writer:

What I think and feel about Kind Arted
The form of expression called Art takes different approaches to reach out
various audiences. Among these diverse approaches, the generic preference
thats ascribed for the persons with visual impairments is music. Some even
tend to think theres no other world void of music for the blind. Also there
are others who firmly believe that blind people come to this world with the
gift of extraordinary hearing ability and so that they could master music and
only music in an outstanding manner. Maybe thats why people remember
Henry Caldera or Stevie Wonder when they come across a person with visual
impairment but not Eref Armaan, Mathew Lorentz or Giovanni Gonelli who
have worked wonders with lines and colors in spite of their lapses in vision. Of
course music is a wonderful and artistic form of expression enjoyed by many
a person, but that should not necessarily limit the persons with visual
impairments by any means when enjoying the aesthetics.
While growing up as a visually impaired child, a teen and an adult, I have
been hearing various observations, stories, remarks, expressions of sympathy
as well as empathy and downright insults which are aimed at blindness too.
One such is the story about the different ways in which several blind people
perceived and described an elephant. This story is often used in Sri Lanka to
highlight the fact that when one is lacking the proper vision in an ideological
sense, that person tends to grip the wrong ends of the topic or the problem
and misinterpret it. So the perception thats thus unfolded through this story
denotes that, attitudinally Sri Lankans are more inclined to believe that
painting and art comprised of lines and colors, is a no-go zone for the persons
with visual impairments. While people like Mark Cox are trying to increase the
accessibility of their paintings for the visually impaired so that they are no
longer deprived of enjoying the beauty of lines and colors through touch, in
Sri Lanka and many other countries, persons with visual impairments have
been sidelined in providing the necessary equity for them to be treated
equals in the paradigm of arts and crafts.

Thats why when Ranush from the Junior citizens Club in Sri Lanka
approached me with this idea to ask what I think of it , I was so thrilled to
assist in anyway possible. Upon reading the proposal for this project I realized
that the organizers have researched the conditions of blindness and the
capacities of different individuals with visual impairments when determining
the categories and the way of presentation to be adopted with regard to this
exhibition known as Kind Arted. Categorizing the participants as the ones
who have been born with their visual impairments and the others who have
lost their vision later in life, is an astute move from the part of organizers so
that the people who are sensitized through this exhibition would be given a
clearer perspective on the different ways in which these two types of people
perceive the world in general. Moreover, allowing them to draw the objects in
the real world as they recognize them and going to the length of inviting the
participants to paint feelings and emotions as they sense them, is a very
innovative way to bring out the perspectives of the persons with visual
impairments into spotlight.
The recognition and social awareness invoked through this great course, will
carry a very strong message to the society about the talents and
perspectives of the visually impaired, which is bound to have a great impact
in shaping the attitude of the masses into a more positive and more realistic
one. Therefore I feel very much obliged to commend this attempt of Junior
Citizens Club in Sri Lanka with much hope and relish because of their
thoughtful and concerned manner of fulfilling their responsibility as junior
citizens who possess the capacity to see beyond the viewable range of the
average person in conducting this exhibition.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE SPONSORS

The cost for the exhibition, Venue and the Marketing Material and Stationatry
equipment will be covered by the sponsors.
BENFITS FOR THE SPONSORS
Principle Sponsor (Amount)

LOGO will be printed in every Media Advertisement and Marketing

Campaign

6 Banners around the venue

A live showcase at the venue

Main Sponsor (Amount)

LOGO will be printed and shown in every Media Advertisement and

Marketing Campaign

3 banners at the venue