Eurasian Association of DFW
Sharing and Celebrating Eurasian Cultures
4th Annual Art Exhibit "I Am Thankful For..." 2015 in Gaylord Texan!
Need community service hours? Volunteers are needed to work in many different roles: from a small task to bigger projects.
We especially need volunteers for the following dates:
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Farewell and Appreciation Dinner (January 31st).
You will be working on the team wih strong Productioon Team members.
If you are interested, contact us.
We Congratulate Our Winners!
CATEGORY FAMILY
1st Place: Noelle Ajamian. “I Am Thankful For Outer Space.” 4 y.o. Carrollton, TX. St. Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church.
“I want to travel to other space and meet aliens and teach them Armenian.”
2nd Place: Jessica Addink. “I Am Thankful For Fairy Tales.” 4 y.o. Keller, TX. Art Wheel Studio.
“Fairy tales are stories that teach us to be a good person and that’s what believed every person in the world when they were children.”
3rd Place: Sofia Carter. “I Am Thankful For the Beauty of Nature.” 4 y.o. Keller, TX. Art Wheel Studio.
“Sofia loves to draw and paint flowers, trees, grass, ladybugs, birds and butterflies. In her artwork she wants to share her admiration and appreciation of nature with other people.”
Honorable Mention: Jason Awasthi. “I Am Thankful For My Mom.” 4 y.o. Keller, TX. Art Wheel Studio.
“I pick flowers from my backyard for my mom whom I love. So I decided to draw flowers.”
CATEGORY 5-7y.o.
1st Place: Victoria Stevens. “I Am Thankful For Mom’s Loving Hands”. 5 y.o. Lewisville, TX.
“Mom’s hands are always tender and do all kind of beautiful things. When mom is hugging me with her hands, it makes me very happy, I feel loved!”
2nd Place: Anya Shamsi. “I Am Thankful For Being Blessed To Be Healthy.” Flower Mound, TX. Bluebonnet Elementary.
“I am blessed to have a healthy meal every single day. There are many kids starving in this world especially in places like Syria. I pray takes care of every child and provides healthy meals to them.”
3rd Place: Artyom Balaka. “I Am Thankful For My Feet and My Ability to Run.” 6 y.o. Autism Spectrum Disorder. Krasnodar, Russia. Wellness Center “Rostok.”
“I have feet and I can run and I am thankful for that.”
“Artyom doesn’t like brushes, pencils and markers, but he runs very fast. A very active boy. Artyom loved painting with his feet.”- Yana Nikolaevna, teacher
Honorable Mention: Maria Indioukov. “I Am Thankful For Music.” 7 y.o. Allen, TX.
“I love to dance, and music helps me to open up myself.”
CATEGORY 8-10y.o.
1st Place: Zoran Shamsi. “I Am Thankful For Beauty of Animals Around Me!” 9 y.o. Flower Mound, TX. Bluebonnet Elementary.
“I love to study different kinds of animals and am fascinated by them and I thought how fun it would be to do an art project about plethora of animals that surround us every day.”
2nd Place: Roman Svidler. “I Am Thankful For Nature.” 10 y.o. Keller, TX. Art Wheel Studio.
“All things in nature are beautiful. This nature picture shows off the colors of my native country, Ukraine, and is an example of the beauty of nature which is constantly surrounding us even in the smallest of areas.”
3rd Place: Rachel Maughan. “I Am Thankful For My Family and All God’s Creations.” 10 y.o. Keller, TX. Art Wheel Studio.
“I thought it would be fun to show me and my brothers and baby sister flying around having an adventure.”
Honorable Mention: Mikhail Mevdedev. “I Am Thankful For the Music.” 10 y.o. Trophy Club, TX. Art Wheel Studio.
“Problem, bad mood or just not feeling good - music helps me to go through it and cheers me up. That is why I Am Thankful for the Music.”
CATEGORY 11-14y.o.
1st Place: Audrey Horn. “I Am Thankful For Nature.” 14 y.o. Keller, TX.
“Nature is one of my passions, and I love to learn about it and be in it. I love animals and plants, and drawing and painting them have always been one of my favorite things to do. In this piece my goal was to show the harmony and diversity of nature, and how everything can be united under one concept.”
2nd Place: Claire Litsey. “I Am Thankful For the Ocean.” 13 y.o. Northlake, TX. Homeschooled.
“I’ve always loved dolphins and hope to swim with them someday.”
3rd Place: Charlotte Berkenbile. “I Am Thankful For the Seasons.” 11 y.o. Southlake, TX. Self.
“I am thankful for being able to play in the seasons, the holidays in each of them, and longer and shorter days.”
Honorable Mention: Alina Ponomarenko. “I Am Thankful For the Chance to Explore.” Grapevine, TX.
“I like to go outside with my friends and go to nearby parks and just hang out and have fun, but some people are disabled or limited in their abilities to explore the world, so I wanted to express my gratitude that I can do anything.”
CATEGORY 15-18y.o.
1st Place: Savannah Sullivan. “I Am Thankful For Video Games.” 17 y.o. Bedford, TX. Trinity High School.
“I thoroughly enjoy video games, and often play them in my free time. They make life interesting and relieve stress after I’ve had a busy day. As well, video games can be the quintessence of artistic creativity and patience.”
2nd Place: Daniel Heaney. “I Am Thankful For a World of Imagination and Hope.” 17 y.o. Keller, TX. James Madison Christian Academy.
“I thought about opportunities that are available to me as a young man looking forward to my future. I stand on the precipice of my life at the age of seventeen looking out with hope. My opportunities are endless.”
3rd Place: Dominic Nedzelskyi. “I Am Thankful For the Beautiful Nature in Texas.” 16 y.o. Keller, TX. Art Wheel Studio.
“My family and I love to hike. We have traveled across many states and are proud that Texas remains one of the most beautiful places in the continental states.”
Honorable Mention: Allie Scott. “I Am Thankful For Colors.” 17 y.o. Euless, TX. Trinity High School.
“Feelings inspire us to use certain colors, so I decided to create a rainbow of colors, or “feelings” to express this.”
BEST OF SHOW
Victoria Stevens. “I Am Thankful For Mom’s Loving Hands.” 5 y.o. Lewisville, TX.
“Mom’s hands are always tender and do all kind of beautiful things. When mom is hugging me with her hands, it makes me very happy, I feel loved!”
The following organizations held workshops:
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Art Wheel Studio, Keller, TX
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DFW Serbian Cultural Center “Rastko”, Dallas, TX
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Dallas International School, Dallas, TX
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Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, Grand Prairie, TX
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St. Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church, Carrollton, TX
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Trinity High School, Eueless, TX
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Visual Arts Guild of Frisco, Workshop: September 27 (Sunday), 1-4pm, at the Frisco Discovery Center
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Wellness Center “Rostok” / (rus.) Оздоровительный Краснодарский Центр " Росток" для детей с ограниченными возможностями, Krasnodar, Russia
Also, particiants represent the following organizations:
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Allies in Youth Development, Mansfield TX
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Anna Early Childhood Center, Anna, TX
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Barksdale Elementary, Plano, TX
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Bluebonnet Elementary, Flower Mound, TX
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German School of Dallas, Dallas, TX
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James Madison Christian Academy, Colleyville, TX
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Krivkosskaya School, Sosnovo, Russia
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Martha Hunt Elementary, Murphy, TX
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Murphy Middle School, Murphy, TX
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Reconciliation Church - SPb / River of Life - Dallas Church
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River of Life - Dallas Church, Plano, TX
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Russian Community, DFW, TX
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Sofia Art Academy, Dallas, TX
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Non-Profit Organizations, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
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Homeschooled
This international art exhibit is a wonderful opportunity for children, young adults, and families from all cultures to teach and express their thankfulness by creating art depicting “I Am Thankful For…” Being thankful for what we have reduces the suffering over what we don't have, and naturally creates the desire to give to others. The intention of the program is to encourage people to stop and be thankful.
Awards and Recognition
For all envolved: Printer Friendly "Thank You Letter"
Certificate of Appreciation by the city of Grapevine
E-Mail Updates
01/13/2016 Reminder: Today (Jan. 13th, 2016) is the Last Day for Art Works Pick-Up
12/29/2015 Reminder: Exhibit is up till Jan. 3, Art Pick-Up Starts Jan 6, 2016
12/23/2015 Happy Holidays from EADFW!
11/24/2015 Being Thankful is Priceless Medicine for the Soul - Happy Thanksgiving!
11/18/2015 For sponsors: Visit Exhibit, Receive Mail, Share Testimonial, Commit to 2016!
11/14/2015 Winners, Ceremony, Annual Calendar, and More
11/09/2015 For sponsors: Official Opening/Award Ceremony is TWO Days Away, Nov. 11th!
11/09/2015 For participants: "Official Opening/Award Ceremony is TWO Days Away, Nov. 11th!"
11/02/2015 "We Thank "I Am Thankful For..." 2015 Supporting Businesses!"
10/29/2015 For participants: "You Are Invited to the Official Opening and Award Ceremony! - "I Am Thankful For..." 2015”
10/22/2015 For sponsors: "Progress Update of Your Sponsorship of "I Am Thankful For..." 2015"
10/07/2015 “How about "Sneak a peek at what YOU could WIN with your art!"
10/02/2015 There Is Still Time! "I Am Thankful For..." Art Drop Off - October 4 -11, 2015
09/18/2015 Don't Miss the Visual Arts Guild of Frisco "I Am Thankful For..." Workshop 9/27, 1-4PM
09/17/2015 For participants: Get your family and friends together, and have fun drawing "I Am Thankful For..."
08/30/2015 Dates, Winners, Rules, and More You Want to Know Now!
08/06/2015 For participating organizations: Get Ready for the Int’l Children’s Art Exhibit “I Am Thankful For…” 2015 @ Gaylord Texan this Holiday Season!
07/30/2015 For schools new to the project: Your School's One-Time Invitation to participate in the Int'l Children's Art Exhibit "I Am Thankful For..." 2015 at Gaylord Texan Nov.-Jan.
07/02/2015 "I Am Thankful For..." 2015 Invites Major Sponsors Now through July 15th (eng.)
02/23/2015 Together We Will Make a Bigger Difference - "I Am Thankful For..." 2015 Int'l Children's Art Exhibit (eng.)
Media Coverage
01/24/2016. The Dallas Telegraph. (rus.) "Благодарность – мощный инструмент для изменения целых народов".
11/2015. Society Life Magazine. 1, 2.
11/07/2015. The Dallas Telegraph. Календарь культурных событий Большого Далласа c 7 по 16 ноября.
11/02/2015 Gaylord Texan on Twitter. You'll love seeing the artwork these talented kids have created! #IAmThankfulFor2015Game
10/30/2015. Kontinent Media Group. International “I Am Thankful For…” Art Exhibit Coming to Gaylord Texan this Holiday Season!
Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, 1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine, Texas 76051 USA, Located in the foyer hall outside of Holiday ICE! Exhibit
November 11, 2015 – January 3, 2016 ~ Exhibit
January 31, 2016, 6-8pm ~ EADFW's Farewell and Appreciation Dinner at the restaurant "Volga." (2515 E Rosemeade Pkwy, Ste 401, Carrollton, TX 75011). Open to public. Eventbrite will be posted soon.
January 6th and January 13th, 2016 ~ Pick-up of art works chosen for "Return". At the Grapevine Visitors Information Center and Museums (636 S Main St, Grapevine, TX 76051, 817.410.3185). During open hours (Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sunday: noon - 5 p.m.). All art works not picked up by 5:30pm on January 13th, 2016 will automatically become the property of EADFW.
List of art works marked for "Return" and "Donate" HERE >
FOR VOLUNTEERS
FOR PARTICIPANTS
Annual Calendar 2016! $12, FREE S&H
This calendar is a collection of 21 winning art works.
CALENDAR
YOU SAY
"At Gaylord Texan, our philanthropic efforts are focused around children, arts, and education. Hosting this wonderful exhibit allowed us to support all three of these important initiatives, in addition to reminding all of us here how much we have to be thankful for.”
- Martha Neibling, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Gaylord Texan, the host, 2015
"Since I first had contact with Nadya and Steve a couple of years ago, I have been drawn to the “I Am Grateful For…” Art Exhibit. It aligns so well with the mission of Thanks-Giving Square – to promote the spirit and unifying value of giving thanks in our community, nation, and the world.
Giving thanks, being grateful, has so many good effects. How many times have wise people in your life counseled you when you were feeling down to stop and find something to be grateful for? And then when you did, you found your situation or attitude transformed from bad to good, from negative to positive, from sad to happy.
Gratitude is a powerful force that we can use to expand our happiness, create loving relationships, and even improve our health.
Many scientific studies have found that people who cultivated a grateful outlook:felt better about their lives as a whole, experienced greater levels of joy and happiness, felt optimistic about the future, got sick less often, made greater progress toward achieving important personal goals, felt stronger during trying times, enjoyed closer family ties, and were generally more satisfied with their lives.
If you want more happiness, joy, and energy, gratitude is clearly a crucial quality to cultivate.
Getting to this gratitude, however, isn't always so easy. Being able to genuinely express gratitude requires you to shift your focus away from the things that are negative and toward those things that you feel thankful for.
.. the more we can step back and examine what we already have that's valuable to us, the more we can focus on gratitude and the more we can accelerate our own inner well-being as a result.” - Chris Slaughter, President and CEO, Thanks-Giving Square, Keynote Speaker, 2015
"Being part of the I Am Thankful project was a wonderful experience for me personally and as a representative of a participating organization (Visual Arts Guild of Frisco). I believe it is a great opportunity for families to discuss what they are thankful for in their daily lives while expressing Thankfulness through the means of Art. Art provides great visual impact and most children are naturally drawn to it from an early age when they pick up crayons for the first time to start doodling…
I would love to see this project to continue for many more years, reaching out to children and giving them a chance to have a break from busy and competitive environment, giving them a chance to create an artwork showing what they are thankful for. Many Thanks, Lucy Tolkunova”
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"The event was very beautiful and very well organized!!! Thank you so much the host, Gaylord Texan, and the presenting sponsor, EADFW, for the great opportunity for our kids to enjoy the Art and to express their gratitude along with unforgettable excitement of being Awarded! Thank you, so much for giving us (parents) an extra chance to spend quality time together, to hug a child, to be thankful for his talent, to feel so proud and smile widely!!! I am thankful for your tremendous efforts to make it happen! :-)” - Alyona Stevens
"What I liked the most about the exhibit is getting to see all of the young artists' final pieces! They were really good. Along with reading some of their reasons for painting the pictures." - Dustin Hibner
“Thanksgiving for me is an opportunity to be grateful for all that I am and all that I have to give. A time to remember that the purpose of all my relationships is to create an opportunity, not an obligation - an opportunity for growth, for full self expression, for lifting lives to their highest potential, for healing every false thought or small idea I ever held about myself or others, and for the ultimate reunion with my GOD through the communion of my soul with all other souls.”
- Grant Hawkins
"Many thanks to Eurasian Association of DFW for this organization! Special thanks to Nadya Nemova Tatsch and Oksana Burr ❤" - Dina Lukmanova
“(RUS.) Благодарен Богу, что он ведет дорогой, за то, что была возможность услышать от пастора Леонида и участвовать в проекте "Я Благодарен Богу", за открытое сердце Леонида, за его возможность взять рисунки и привезти их сюда, за проект, за наше знакомство с Надеждой, за участие моих детей в проекте, и думаю Бог ведет нас дальше) Спасибо Леонид (вашей церкви) и Надежда вашей организации! Благословений) буду молиться за дальнейшее сотрудничество).” -Sergey Chelpannikov, SAC Orphans, Ministry of the Former Soviet Union
“The project helps them to look at things what they already have, like beautiful children, and find gratitude.” - Shelly, Ally’s House
"Gratitude is being happy with what we have and knowing it's enough", or maybe I mentioned a shortened version, "gratitude turns what we have into enough". Either way, it's just having a thankful attitude for what we DO have instead of yearning for what we DON'T have or wishing for more and more.”
- Casey Ecker
“…we should express our gratitude all year long, making Thanksgiving a lifestyle, not just an annual holiday. Please take time … to express your gratitude …”
- Kenneth Tatsch, USDAA, President
(rus.) “Главное действительно понимать, кому и чему ты благодарен. Тогда мир будет действительно добрее.” - Радио Филадельфия, 106.5FM /
“It’s important to understand, who and what you are thankful for. Therefore, the world will really be kinder.” - Radio Philadelphia, 106.5FM
We thank our SUPPORTING SPONSORS
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We thank our OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSORS
Last updated on 01/25/2016
