The Children's Art Gallery of Greece in association with UNESCO creates the “Intercultural Children’s Collection of Art (ICCA)” with the central theme: “My Paintings Communicate my Cultural Heritage to the World”. 

A complete collection of children's authentic paintings, which consists of thousands of masterpieces made by children around the world!

The flourishment of the intercultural artistic dialogue within the young generation is encouraged by an open invitation to every child from 0 to 18 years from around the world to contribute with his/her art work to the enrichment of the ICCA. Based on the foundations of education (learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be), ICCA is a pioneering project, which as a collaborative joint construction, it acts as a mechanism for collecting, recording, preserving and transferring childhood artistic creation in spatial and time continuity, organizing the historical memory and preserving precious material from disappearing, preparing it for future generations. The communication of children’s creativity acts as a varied inspirational platform for children's art production. An open dialogue between archival practice and children's visual production, bringing to the fore the modern childhood thinking, the concerns and prospects of the new generation of our world, reinforcing the interpretation of the past, the deeper understanding of the present and the shaping of the future.  The nurture of children’s art via an online web platform comprising an educational art-based outreach programme and a digital art gallery. The cultivation of children’s artistic creation is founded on an innovative dual framework incorporating the education of children on art via a motivating outreach programme and the presentation of the children’s artworks in an online digital cross-border art gallery. Regardless of their background, all children are invited to participate in a celebration of art, where each child’s contribution composes the framework for learning about and creating art.   Intercultural dialogue is inherent to this initiative since it meets unmet social, educational and cultural needs: Crucial to the success of the ICCA is to follow the children’s own interests and practices, rather than authoritatively foist a formal practice on to them. By forging a strong partnership with the children, the art education, the creation and the presentation of art is infused with rich, comprehensive, imaginative and relevant elements. The children are the architects of the programme, which aims to achieve together with the children and not simply for them. Eager to explore what springs from the children’s own initiative, it constructs an attractive landscape with relevant, participative, empowering and rewarding activities.

The programme is three-dimensional, embracing in a complete circle the three stages of the children’s involvement in the arts: information-creation-presentation. On the first stage of informing children, the e-learning flexibility of the educational programme introduces each child to a variety of themes from around the world, creating the dynamics behind an inclusive environment with equal opportunities and benefits for all children. On the second stage of the art creation, the establishment of a respectful and praising culture towards the children’s artistic enterprises will break the notion that the children’s art is immature, naïve, and “childish”. On the third and final stage of the art presentation, great prominence is given to individuality by providing a custom-built dedicated space for each child to exhibit their unique creations. Adorned with youthful artwork, the foundation of a cross-border, widely accessible, online data base/art gallery, will tell the stories of the children around the world. Ideally structured to enable all children, regardless of their social, financial and cultural background to be fully immersed in all the three stages related to art (education, creation, presentation), the web platform knows no geographical or time limitations for its total function, since it can benefit children anywhere and anytime. The web-based initiative will ensure every child has the opportunity to learn about, enjoy and participate directly in the arts.  When it comes to art creation, an incentive system (awards, personal exhibition space) for consistent and effective participation, mobilises each child to become an active part of the artistic creation process. The newly found freedom unlocks the children’s fresh talent and liberates their spontaneous expression. 

The final and most rewarding part of the process is the presentation of the final art product. Children are filled with confidence, determination and gratification when their artwork is widely appreciated, and they are recognized as artists with a concrete contribution in shaping the artistic and cultural scene in their communities. And by inspiring communities to celebrate the artful creativity of their children, it forges powerful social bonds and strengthens social cohesion. The principal hallmark of the online programme is openness, with its widespread, decentered, globilised impact. The young generation is offered the opportunity to experience art beyond the confinements of their local communities and national borders. The advanced technology inherent in the programme liberates children from their national boundaries, placing the emphasis on the individual making his/her way to the world. A successful initial implementation of the programme in one member state will set a good example and mobilise the other member states to follow. The flagship initiative will be followed by a succession of other initiatives extending the reach and impact of the programme throughout the world. And since the challenge of nurturing the children’s artistic creation has a cross-border dimension, individual local initiatives will form an amalgamation of art forces proposing an extra dimension in sustaining and fortifying the social fabric.  Creating new bonds between the younger generation, of sharing, learning about, presenting their unique realities through art, contributes to the expansion and consolidation of a vigorous common identity and the invention of an innovative, open to all, cross-border path to the future.