FINDING LIGHT IN DARKNESS AND COURAGE IN TRUTH

ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:19 PM

Its good news for all creative persons ! And I want to share this interesting news with everybody!
A few days ago, I had an e-mail from "Natasha Muller" natasha@article19.org. She has brought the good news to me, consequently to all of you. Thanks a lot Natasha!
The news as it is
“…….ArtVenture, in association with ARTICLE 19, have launched the ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize to “find light in darkness and courage in truth”. This unique US$ 100,000 prize shall recognize the countless artists worldwide whose works promote human rights and free expression, and who are denied their Freedom to Create in repressive environments.

The prize is divided into three categories.

The Main Prize will be open to artists in all creative fields and awarded to an individual, community group or organization which promotes human rights, including the right to freedom of expression in restrictive or repressive environments. This award carries a single US$ 50,000 prize which is split into two components. The winner of the award will receive US$ 25,000 with the remainder given to an organisation nominated by the winner to further the artist’s cause.

The Youth Prize will consist of a US$ 25,000 prize and will be judged on the same criteria as the main category. It will be split between an education scholarship and further advocacy on behalf of the youth.

The Imprisoned Artists Prize will focus on artists who are currently imprisoned as a result of their artwork. Unlike the other categories, the judging panel will not assess the artwork but rather how their talent and sacrifice exposed an injustice or contravention of human rights, including the freedom of expression. A single prize of US$ 25,000 will be directed towards advocacy efforts on their behalf and providing a measure of support to their family.

The ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize is not just an art prize but a unique and significant award that will play an important role in giving a voice to those who are denied opportunity and resources, and will be judged by a panel of eminent artists, and human rights experts. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2008, with the announcement of the winners scheduled for December 7, 2008 in London .

Further information can be found at http://www.freedomtocreateprize.com/ ”

After reading the e-mail I checked it and found the site, You can check it your self , And if you want to fill the form on line you have to log on the site it would not cost you money click here http://www.freedomtocreateprize.com/

but for my readers I have posted the news in detail, It says:

FINDING LIGHT IN DARKNESS AND COURAGE IN TRUTH
ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize
ArtVenture, in association with ARTICLE 19, is proud to launch the inaugural Freedom to Create Prize. This international prize will recognise artists who use their talents to promote human rights, including the freedom of expression, empathy, equality and understanding
In all societies, the development of the arts has been a sign of culture and light. Yet not all governments provide citizens with the ‘freedom to create’ needed to foster innovation, commerce and prosperity. Some governments harass and impoverish their citizens, steal resources, stifle entrepreneurship and undermine human ingenuity and hope. In these societies, art can play an important role in giving a voice to those who are denied opportunity and resources.
ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize will consist of three categories. The main prize will be open to individuals or artistic groups in all creative fields including the visual and performance arts, music, crafts, design and literature. The winner of this award will receive US$ 50,000.
ArtVenture Freedom to Create Youth Prize will be open to artists who are under the age of 18 with the winner receiving US$ 25,000 scholarship and advocacy prize. The final category, the ArtVenture Freedom to Create Imprisoned Artist Prize, will focus on artists who are currently imprisoned for their artwork. The winner will receive US$ 25,000 towards supporting their family, paying legal costs and supporting advocacy efforts.

This is not an art prize. It will not simply judge the skill of the artist but recognise how the artist has used their work in speaking out in defence of human rights and freedom of expression. The inaugural prize will be a unique and significant award and will be judged by a panel of eminent artists, and human rights experts and philanthropists.

Application Pack Request
If you would like to receive an Application Pack please complete the following form. Fields marked with an * may not be required.
Details of Artist/Group

Name of artist or group:
Art form:
Date of Birth: (oldest member)
Country of Residence:
Country of Birth:
Details of Main Contact

Name of contact person:
Age:
Nominating organisation:*
Job title:*
Address:
Telephone number:
Email address:
Confirm email address:
Country of Residence:

I would be interested in applying for the following prize(s).

Main Prize , Youth Prize , Imprisoned Artist Prize
I confirm I have read and understand the terms and conditions for this/these prize(s)
Deadline for submission is 31 October, 2008
Shortlisted entrants will be contacted

Winners to be announced in December 2008

Entry Requirements
· Journalism pieces will not be considered.
· Entries in contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the opinion of ArtVenture and ARTICLE 19 will not be considered.
· Entries must be typed. Handwritten entries will not be accepted.
· Each artist and/or group can only enter/be nominated once and fill in the appropriate entry form for the relevant prize category.
· In the event a group is selected as the winning entry, prize monies will be divided equally amongst all nominated members.
· Entrants can enter either one piece of art or a body of work but can only submit one application form. Please refer to the web site http://www.freedomtocreateprize.com/ for an overview of what constitutes ‘art’.
· All sections in the application form must be completed.
· Completed entries must be emailed to entry@freedomtocreateprize.com AND a hard copy posted to:
ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize
ArtVenture
Robinson Road Post Office
P.O. Box 1571
Singapore
903121
· Deadline for submission is October 31, 2008 at 2359 hours (UTC/GMT + 8 hours). On-line registration and email applications must be submitted by this date. Postal applications will only be accepted up to the close of business in Singapore on November 10, 2008. Entries will only be accepted if the emailed version of the application AND the hardcopy are received.
· Entrants should select materials which best represent their artwork.
· Photographs and/or video and/or samples of the art works must be attached to the posted entry for the main Freedom to Create Prize and the Freedom to Create Youth Prize. A file containing the photographs and or video and/or sample of the artwork should also be emailed along with the entry to entry@freedomtocreateprize.com.
Photographs will only be accepted in the following formats: jpeg, tif, gif. Videos will only be accepted in the following formats: wmv, mpeg, mp4. For the Freedom to Create Imprisoned Artists Prize, any photographs and or video showing the work should also be included, if available, as verification that the works existed. Other forms of verification may also be accepted at ArtVenture and ARTICLE 19’s discretion.
· Entrants and nominating parties are not to send original copies of the artwork/s and ArtVenture and ARTICLE 19 accept no responsibility for any materials submitted with the entry.
· ArtVenture and ARTICLE 19 will not return any materials posted for consideration in any of the ArtVenture Freedom to Create prize categories.
· All entry costs (including postage) will be borne by each entrant or the nominating parties.
· Entrants must provide as much detail as possible as to what purposes they intend the prize money to be directed towards. Release of the prize monies will be subject to entrants providing satisfactory evidence of their intended use of prize monies and may be asked to sign a release form before any prize monies are paid, requiring winners to submit evidence of how the prize monies have been spent.
· Referees must be familiar with the work of art and not a personal acquaintance of the entrant.
· Each entrant must provide full contact details of three referees who may be contacted as part of the judging process.
· The works of art being considered for the Freedom to Create Prize and the Freedom to Create Youth Prize must have been disseminated to the public within a reasonable time period after their creation. ArtVenture and ARTICLE 19 reserve the right to define what is reasonable for these purposes.

Imprisoned Artist
Accepted Art Forms
Art is a living and civilising power that the Russian writer Tolstoy equated to ‘speech itself’. Without it, he wrote, men would be ‘like wild beasts’. In today’s imbalanced world, too often people are made to feel less like citizens with inalienable rights and more like abused animals.
The deepest power of art is to transcend indignities even in the midst of them. Anything can do it: a deeply felt song or dance, the written words of truth, paintings or photographs that change the familiar into the exceptional, dramas that tell hidden stories or designs that solve intractable problems. Everything offers a kind of freedom from a particular oppression, and so anything can be art, because freedom comes from the activity and not the product.
The qualification is not the work but the sincerity of its offering. The Indian poet Tagore said that the ‘ultimate measure’ of a person cannot be made on the easy moments, but rather on ‘where [s/he] stands at times of challenge and controversy’. The artist is brave before being skilled, because always their best work seeks to speak to humanity through whatever voice they choose.



Panellists Augusto Boal
The Brazilian theatre director, writer, and erstwhile politician is the founder of the Theatre of the Oppressed, a global social movement which uses political theatre to empower the repressed in society.

Andrew Dickson
The arts editor of the Guardian newspaper’s online Guardian Unlimited, is also a writer and broadcaster on theatre and classical music.

Htein Lin
The Burmese artist and social activist who was in prison from 1998-2004, Htein Lin used whatever tools for painting he could acquire, and composed and haunting portraits evocative of incarceration and injustice, but also positive portraits of futures hopes. He has said that art and politics do not mix. Yet he also knows that political situations can inspire powerful and moving art. Art that serves an agenda is not art, yet artists cannot help but respond to real life. Htein Lin’s work

Carlos Reyes-Manzo
The Chilean poet, photographer and photojournalist has documented the lives of thousands of marginalised peoples. In many communities he has used photography to capture injustices or human rights abuses suffered by many voiceless victims. In 1973 Carlos was detained for two years by the military government of Chile, lived in exile in Panama and eventually escaped South America and claimed asylum in London. He has since been ceaselessly involved with the promotion of human rights and the documentation of their abuse around the world. Carlos Reyes-Manzo’s work



About ArtVenture ArtVenture is a philanthropic organisation which seeks to harness art and culture to improve lives in meaningful ways. ArtVenture is a grant-making philanthropic organisation that seeks to harness the powers of the arts to improve the lives of people in the hardest communities of the world. By the virtues of the arts, we hope to help make our global community nobler and healthier in body, mind and soul. Culture and the arts can transform the world. Human creativity and innovation have been central to our history and development as a civilisation. Art is an enabler, a universal language that can comfort, communicate and give counsel. Its media cut through all boundaries, be they economic, national or cultural. The arts empower people through the free expression of ideas, hopes, dreams and aspirations. It helps to create our future. Our goal is to use the arts to alleviate suffering and provide opportunities to the world’s most neglected communities. The arts – painting and sculpture, music and dance, architecture and design, photography and film, drama and literature – become more than the Greek’s mimesis and catharsis, and surpass even Tolstoy’s belief that art unifies through feeling. For us, the living arts become tools of social empowerment. A civilisation can only advance if its sciences and arts are balanced. We promote projects that foster and liberate creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Art is the manifestation of the creator within. A healthy culture and the life of artistic ideas contribute, in turn, to the development of enterprise and economic independence which are crucial to alleviating poverty and achieving prosperity. We support artists and organisations that use the arts to highlight social development issues, build bridges between cultures and confront oppression, by affirming truth and community. This is art as the great communicator; without communication a society cannot find harmony. We support projects that bring strength and comfort, healing and confidence to societies fractured by disease or conflict. Art can heal individuals and whole communities, it can counsel people who have suffered, and it can provide an outlet for past experiences. Projects using the arts in slums, prisons, communities with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, orphanages are all involved in a global healing process. ArtVenture endeavours, through partnerships with grassroots projects and working with other creative donors, to bring a positive message of hope and joy to places of turmoil and despair. The arts is our place of business and also our spiritual home. We believe in art as creator, counselor and healer; art for communicating across divides. Art for art’s sake and therefore our own.




Once again You can read the matter in nut and shell

ArtVenture Prize to Champion Creative Freedom
1 July 2008, London - A unique creative-prize has been established to recognise artists who
use their talents to promote creative freedom, empathy, understanding and to confront
discrimination and oppression.
The ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize will carry a total prize of US$ 100,000 and be judged by a panel of eminent artists and human rights experts. It will consist of three categories, including one for imprisoned artists. The prize has been established by the philanthropic organisation, ArtVenture, in association with the London-based human rights organisation ARTICLE 19. The magnitude of the total prize reflects the importance of promoting creative freedom especially in repressive societies.
The main category in the ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize category will be open to artists in all creative fields including the visual arts, film, music, dance and literature. The prize will be awarded to an individual or group that uses their creative work to promote human rights and freedom of expression in a restrictive or repressive environment. The winner of this award will receive $50,000 ($25,000 to the artist or group and $25,000 to a nominated organisation to further the cause the artwork has highlighted).
The Freedom to Create Youth Prize will be open to artists who are under the age of 18 with the winner receiving $25,000 ($10,000 towards an education scholarship and $15,000 for a nominated advocacy issue). The final category, The Freedom to Create Imprisoned Artist Prize, will focus on artists who are currently imprisoned due to their artwork. The winner will receive $25,000 towards supporting their family, paying legal costs and supporting advocacy efforts.
ArtVenture spokesperson, Martin Thomas, commented: “Freedom to Create is critical in fostering innovation, commerce and prosperity, yet this right is not respected in all countries. Some leaders harass and impoverish their citizens, steal resources, stifle entrepreneurship and undermine human ingenuity and hope. In these societies, art can play an important role in giving a voice to those who are denied opportunity and resources,”
“The ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize is not simply about judging the skill of an artist’s work, instead it will recognise how the artist has used their work in speaking out against discrimination and oppression.”
The Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, Dr Agnes Callamard, said the prize would play an important role in promoting freedom of expression. “The ArtVenture prize is a timely reminder that Freedom to Create must be protected. Intolerance for dissent and unpopular expressions, including artistic, is on the increase. Artists make societies aware of the existence of abuses. They open our eyes, ears, imagination - all our senses - to the horror of wars, torture, poverty, racism and violence against women,” Dr Callamard commented. “This prize will champion the right to freedom of expression for the many artists across the globe
that are harassed, attacked or otherwise repressed in their attempts to voice their opinions through the arts.”
Entries for the Freedom to Create Prize will close on October 31, 2008 and the winner will be
announced in London on December 1.
About ArtVenture, Art in Action
ArtVenture is a philanthropic organisation which seeks to harness art and culture to
improve lives in meaningful ways. We believe philanthropic programmes delivered
through the arts have a special ability to reach people and play a vital role in harnessing
the creativity needed for human development.
ArtVenture’s goal is to alleviate suffering and to provide solutions that address the root
causes of poverty, illness and conflict. We endeavour to bring a positive message of hope
and joy to places of turmoil and despair.
ArtVenture is an advocate and practitioner of “Performance Philanthropy”. We apply
investment tools and standards to our business. We believe that giving should be
informed by an investment mindset that stresses clarity of purpose, sound planning, wellinformed choices and measurable impact.
About Article 19
Article 19 is a London-based human rights organisation which promotes the defence and
promotion of freedom of expression and freedom to information worldwide.
Established in 1987, Article 19 fights for all hostages of censorship, defends dissenting
voices that have been muzzled and campaigns against law and practices that silence. The
group takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
For more information about the ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize go to
http://www.freedomtocreateprize.com/.

ArtVenture - http://www.artventure.com/
Contact Us
For Media Enquiries
Martin Thomas
Communications Manager ArtVenture
T: +65 6210 5555 T: +65 8126 0090 (Mobile) E: media@artventure.com
W: FreedomToCreatePrize.com

For General Enquiries
ArtVenture
ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize
Robinson Road Post Office P.O. Box 1571Singapore 903121 T: +65 6210 5588E: info@FreedomToCreatePrize.com W: ArtVenture.com
ARTICLE 19
6-8 Amwell Street London EC1R 1UQ United Kingdom T: +44 20 7278 9292
F: +44 20 7278 7660 W: ARTICLE19.org


For media enquiries:
Martin Thomas
ArtVenture
London, Singapore
Telephone: +65 8126 0090
Email: media@artventure.com

You can contact also

Natasha Muller
Communications Department
ARTICLE 19
6-8 Amwell Street
London
EC1R 1UQ
T: +44 20 7278 9292
F: +44 20 7278 7660
http://www.article19.org/