Imago Por Las Artes

IMAGO POR LAS ARTES IS A NON-PROFIT, INCLUSIVE, AND MULTICULTURAL ORGANIZATION BASED IN MIAMI - FLORIDA, DEDICATED TO FACILITATING ACCESS TO CULTURE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES THROUGH THE PRODUCTION AND PROMOTION OF ARTISTIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND RECREATIONAL EVENTS AND PROGRAMS IN ALL ITS MANIFESTATIONS: ART, THEATER, MUSIC, AND LITERATURE, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE VALUES AND TRADITIONS OF HISPANIC CULTURE IN A CREATIVE, PLEASANT, AND INTEGRATED WAY. VISION "TO BE THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND A CULTURAL REVOLUTION, WHERE THE ARTS ARE CELEBRATED AS ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF HUMAN EXPRESSION, FOSTERING EMPATHY, UNDERSTANDING, AND UNITY AMONG DIVERSE POPULATIONS, AND SHAPING A MORE HARMONIOUS AND ENLIGHTENED SOCIETY."

THE "MIAMI CHILDREN'S STORYTELLING FESTIVAL" PROJECT CONSISTS OF THE CREATION, ASSEMBLY, AND PRESENTATION OF STORIES NARRATED BY CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF SEVEN (7) AND TWELVE (12) WITH AN INTEREST IN THE HISPANIC LANGUAGE AND TRADITIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF ORAL TRADITION AS CULTURAL HERITAGE. THE PROJECT SPANNED TEN (10) WEEKS, STARTING ON JANUARY 8 AND ENDING ON MARCH 19, 2023. BEFORE THAT, THERE WAS A TWO (2) MONTH STAGE IN WHICH THE CALL WAS DEVELOPED. WE BEGAN THE PROJECT FROM SCRATCH AND CULMINATED WITH A FESTIVAL-STYLE STAGING FEATURING ONE (1) PRESENTATION OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY. AS PART OF THE PROJECT, WE CREATED A HANDMADE BOOK THAT CONTAINS ALL THE STORIES WRITTEN BY THE CHILDREN.

EXPENSES NEEDED TO ACCOMPLISH ORGANIZATIONS MISSION AND GOALS.

TO PROMOTE IN CHILDREN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ILLUSTRATION AS A LANGUAGE AND TOOL FOR EXPRESSING IDEAS, EMOTIONS, AND REFLECTIONS THAT ALLOW THEM TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR SOCIAL AND PERSONAL WORLD WHILE ALSO FOSTERING AN AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CARE AND SENSITIZING THEM TO THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATORS CONTEST WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2019 AND CELEBRATED ITS 4TH EDITION IN 2023. INITIALLY A LOCAL COMPETITION, THE CONTEST EXPANDED ITS REACH TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE IN 2021 WITH THE HELP OF TECHNOLOGY. OVER 150 CHILDREN, AGED 4 TO 12, FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE CONTEST. IN THE 4TH EDITION, WE RECEIVED OVER 50 ILLUSTRATIONS, WITH PRIZES IN THREE AGE CATEGORIES AND THREE SPECIAL MENTIONS. THE 4TH EDITION OF THE CONTEST HAD THE THEME OF "EVOKING PLACES," WITH A FOCUS ON THE BREATHTAKING NATURAL LANDSCAPES OF OUR PLANET. THE AIM WAS TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPANTS TO SHOWCASE THEIR INTERPRETATION OF THEIR FAVORITE NATURAL LANDSCAPES AND THEIR IMAGINED PLACES. WE CONCLUDED THE 2023 CONTEST BY SHOWCASING OVER 50 WORKS AT THE CORAL GABLES MUSEUM GALLERY SPACES WITH AN EVENT OPEN TO ALL AUDIENCES.