2003 International Child Art Festival

During the second week of September 2003, George Rodrigue spent three days on the National Mall in Washington D.C. assisting children from fifty countries and thirty states in creating paintings for peace. The artist helped to raise funds for the program through sales of his print Honesty, a collage-type silkscreen combining the Blue Dog with children’s art from around the world.

He continued this theme in a pyramid construction, which he designed to house the murals. In addition to creating paintings of their own ideas, Rodrigue asked several of the children to assist him in painting the Blue Dog as a focal point for the three-dimensional structure.

It was an exciting opportunity for the children to make new friends and to spend several days working with a great artist. At the same time, however, Rodrigue felt honored to be an integral part of a festival which promotes friendship, tolerance, and understanding through the international language of art.

Rodrigue continues to make the International Child Art Foundation his charity of choice, raising funds for their year-a-round, worldwide programs which bring children together under the umbrella of art, in hopes that their experiences with each other and resulting new friendships will help promote peace on the planet.