The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum will hold a summer art workshop series in partnership with the Al Oerter Foundation, the Art of the Olympians program and the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation.
“Special attention to the arts has always been a part of the vision for the Olympic Movement and the USOPM is proud to host this unparalleled experience for the Colorado Springs community,” USOPM Chief Executive Officer Christopher Liedel said.
The workshop series will create vibrant summer programs that reflect the Museum’s commitment to education. As a shining beacon of Olympic and Paralympic hopes, dreams and values, the Museum is excited to provide access to arts programming for middle and high school students with a focus on photography, painting, sculpture, drawing and other visual arts.
Collaboration among these partners will provide a unique experience for local youth participants to engage with Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are also artists. A special session focusing on the works of legendary painter LeRoy Neiman will highlight his most famous Olympic paintings and their historical significance.
“LeRoy considered his involvement with the Olympics a lifelong accomplishment and would have been pleased to see his Foundation partner with the USOPM and the Al Oerter Foundation in providing educational arts programming” said Tara Zabor, Executive Director of the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation.
“This historic partnership is an exciting opportunity that fulfills the collective visions of both Al Oerter, four-time Olympic discus champion, and Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games,” said Roald Bradstock, Executive Director of Art of the Olympians and two-time Olympian. “By combining the two universal languages of art and sport into one unique educational program we can help show the connections and similarities between the athletic and artistic worlds.”
Additional program details and registration will begin in January 2020 through the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Digital Museum at usopm.org.
Photo courtesy of The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation.
