First Ever IHC Telecom Art Awards

Nearly 300 Entries Received For First Ever IHC Telecom Art Awards

Hundreds of artists with intellectual disabilities, representing communities around New Zealand, have entered the country’s first ever nationwide IHC Telecom Art Awards competition for people with intellectual disabilities.

Hundreds of artists with intellectual disabilities, representing communities around New Zealand, have entered the country’s first ever nationwide IHC Telecom Art Awards competition for people with intellectual disabilities.

The IHC Telecom Art Awards have been created to encourage the creativity and art of New Zealanders with an intellectual disability and to generate public awareness that people with an intellectual disability have unique and important perspectives of the world, National Manager IHC fundraising Greg Millar said.

“Within the IHC, there have been many examples over the years of how using different art forms can give people with an intellectual disability, including many who have not necessarily been able to communicate verbally, a new voice with which to describe their worlds,” Mr Millar said.

“The first ever IHC & Telecom Art Awards have proved to be very popular and have created a great opportunity to encourage people with an intellectual disability to use art to express themselves and to communicate their experiences in extraordinary and inspirational ways, often with great beauty, technique and acute insight.”

Ten finalists for the IHC Telecom Art Awards will be chosen from each of three regions around New Zealand (Upper North, Lower North and the South Island) and announced on Thursday 12 February, shortly before the IHC Appeal Week, which runs from Monday 16 to Saturday 22 February 2004.

The winner’s of the IHC Telecom Art Awards will then be announced following a National Exhibition and a National Awards event to be held at the Britomart Center in Auckland on Thursday 11 March 2004.

ENDS

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