Viborg UNESCO Creative City - Media Arts. Your creative visual partner

March 2022 International Drawing Campaign by Viborg UNESCO Creative City (En Français ci-dessous)

Drawing is fundamental to humans regardless of origin. The earliest traces of our species are drawings in caves and we all draw before we speak.

In Viborg, we have a special and long-standing stronghold within drawing, animation, children's culture and creativity. We know and recognize the value of children, young people and adults’ drawing - whether you draw for yourself, another person or professionally.

Unfortunately, most Danish and many children around the world stop drawing around the age of ten.

This is a problem because we lose a creative force. In Viborg UNESCO Creative City we would like to help change this with our annual drawing campaign for children and young people in Denmark and worldwide.

The ambition of the drawing campaign is to strengthen the understanding of the value and significance of drawing and creativity for children and young people's development. We sincerely wish to help children and young people maintain faith in their drawing abilities and create drawing friendships both in their own country and across the world through our international UNESCO network.

The background

Viborg's trust in the power of drawing and the idea of an annual national and international drawing campaign received a significant local, national and international boost with our DrawWithDenmark Campaign in 2021. In connection with a major Danish charity event in 2021 and together with Viborg and Denmark, thousands of children and young people in 33 countries around the world drew HOPE for and with children and young people under the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign have subsequently won international campaign and communication awards in the US and Europe and selected drawings have been exhibited at the National Gallery in Copenhagen and at biennales etc. in countries like the UK and China.

Viborg has a strong local creative and drawing network that dates back more than 30 years. The foundation for this network is the Animation Workshop, one of the world’s best animation schools, and the creative hub linked to the school, Viborg Municipality’s Culture School, Viborg Municipality’s view on children and focus on culture and creativity and last - but not least - our status as a UNESCO Creative City.

2022 Campaign – DrawWithDenmark TRUST

The drawing campaign will be open for submission of drawings from 1 March and until 1 May. The 2022 theme is TRUST.

Trust is about feeling safe, friendship, love and feelings in relations. It is about relationships with other beings, with systems, beliefs, technology, science, the universe, nature and yourself.

Trust is what sends hope on adventures where we dare to leave tracks. Trust gives the courage to dream and to act. Trust must be felt - and felt right. Trust arises in situations where we see others and feel seen ourselves. Humans as well as ther beings evolve through trustful relationships. Trust gives us the courage to be ourselves and to be something for others. If you are met with trust, you will wish to give back trust. Trust means trust. Trust is an underlaying pillar of society.

14 drawing challenges

Under the theme TRUST, we have created 14 challenges as an inspiration for the participating children and youth in the drawing campaign:

TRUST – SYMBOL: Draw a symbol of trust. What is trust for you? What colour, shape, figure?
TRUST – SITUATION: Draw a situation where you hope to be met with trust.
TRUST – DISTRUST: Make a drawing divided into two parts where the one is a world full of trust and the other a world without trust.
TRUST – POSTCARD: Draw a postcard or make an animated gif file for someone you would like to thank for their trust in you.
TRUST – PLACE: Draw the place where you feel most safe and confident.
TRUST – CLASS: What does a school class full of trust look like?
TRUST – COURAGE: Trust creates courage. Draw a situation where you need courage.
TRUST – FRIENDS: Draw some friends with trust in each other who hold each other's hands, and between them something can grow.
TRUST - ANIMALS. Draw an animal with trust.
TRUST – TRACKS: Make a drawing that shows which tracks leave trust.
TRUST – FRIENDSHIP: Draw what friendship and trust means to you.
TRUST - BURST. Draw an explosion of trust!
TRUST - WELCOME. Draw a trustful welcome for strangers. For example, people from other countries, aliens or other creatures, cities, newcomers in your class, etc.
TRUST – IMAGINATION. Draw trust as you imagine it.

We hope these challenges will inspire children and young people to draw, paint, etc. either individually or as a group and will each be presented on social media in March. The campaign is thus aimed at individuals, kindergartens, schools, culture & arts schools etc.

Information on the campaign and its details will be available here and on our social media like: https://www.facebook.com/creativecityviborg

How to take part?

You can upload your drawing(s) to Viborg UNESCO Creative through this link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_nRFAvNk5k2S6f4kPe0Qhv1Sj8n79KhHmCe1eC1yNCFUOU05MjZGSTFCWllROFpETzM4QjI0TDdPNS4u

Also you're most welcome to share them on social media under #DrawWithDenmark.

As with our 2021 campaign, we will work with various exciting exhibition formats - including of course media arts - locally in Viborg, in Denmark and hopefully around the world. Also, like it was the case in 2021, we encourage participants around the world to make local events, exhibitions etc.

A New Pedagogy

In connection with the drawing campaign over the coming years, our plan is to develop a distinct #DrawWithDenmark pedagogy that:

- Strengthens children's and young people’s general imagination and helps make them global citizens

- Strengthens and stimulates children's and young people's craft skills

- Offers material for children around 10 years that inspires them to keep drawing

- Match the time we live in and focus on motivation and inspiration, and

- Investigates how drawings can live on in a world of new technology, video games, movies, animation and VR

The partners behind the Campaign

Behind the #DrawWithDenmark drawing campaign are these partners in Viborg UNESCO Creative City:

Viborg Municipality

The Animation Workshop

Culture School Viborg

Viborg Visuals

... We hope that you will join us on a new local - global drawing journey! 😊

You can read more about our 2021 international drawing campaign below.

...

Informations en Français: Campagne de dessin Danemark 2022

Le dessin est fondamental pour les humains, quelle que soit leur origine. Les plus anciennes traces de notre espèce sont des dessins dans des grottes et nous dessinons tous avant de parler.

À Viborg, nous avons un atout particulier et de longue date dans le domaine du dessin, de l'animation, du développement de la culture et de la créativité des enfants. Nous reconnaissons la valeur du dessin des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes - que vous dessiniez pour vous-même, pour une autre personne ou à titre professionnel.

Malheureusement, la plupart des Danois et de nombreux enfants dans le monde cessent de dessiner vers l'âge de dix ans.

C'est un problème car nous perdons une force créative. Viborg, ville créative de l'UNESCO, souhaite contribuer à changer cette situation grâce à sa campagne annuelle de dessin destinée aux enfants et aux jeunes du Danemark et du monde entier.

L'ambition de cette campagne est de souligner la valeur et la signification du dessin et de la créativité dans le développement des enfants et des jeunes. Nous souhaitons sincèrement aider les enfants et les jeunes à garder confiance dans leurs capacités à dessiner et à créer des amitiés de dessinateurs dans leur propre pays et à travers le monde grâce à notre réseau international de l'UNESCO.

Le contexte

La confiance de Viborg dans le pouvoir du dessin et l'idée d'une campagne annuelle de dessin nationale et internationale ont reçu un élan local, national et international important avec notre campagne DrawWithDenmark en 2021. Dans le cadre d'un grand événement caritatif danois en 2021 et en collaboration avec Viborg et le Danemark, des milliers d'enfants et de jeunes dans 33 pays du monde ont dessiné sur le thème HOPE pour et avec les enfants et les jeunes victimes de la pandémie de COVID-19. La campagne a ensuite remporté des prix internationaux aux États-Unis et en Europe et certains dessins ont été exposés à la Galerie nationale de Copenhague et à des biennales dans des pays comme le Royaume-Uni et la Chine.

Viborg possède un solide réseau local de création et de dessin qui remonte à plus de 30 ans. Ce réseau repose sur l'Animation Workshop, l'une des meilleures écoles d'animation au monde, le centre de création lié à cette école, l'école de culture de la municipalité de Viborg ainsi que l’importance accordée par la municipalité de Viborg aux enfants et l'accent mis sur la culture et la créativité, et enfin et surtout notre statut de ville créative de l'UNESCO.

Campagne 2022 - DrawWithDenmark TRUST

La campagne de dessin sera ouverte à partir du 1er mars et jusqu'au 1er mai. Le thème de 2002 est la CONFIANCE.

La confiance concerne le sentiment de sécurité, l'amitié, l'amour et les sentiments dans les relations. Elle concerne les relations avec les autres êtres, les systèmes, les croyances, la technologie, la science, l'univers, la nature et soi-même.

La confiance est ce qui donne de l'espoir dans des aventures où l'on ose laisser des traces. La confiance donne le courage de rêver et d'agir. La confiance doit être ressentie - et ressentie réellement. La confiance naît dans des situations où nous voyons les autres et nous sentons vus nous-mêmes. Les humains, et les autres êtres, évoluent grâce à des relations de confiance. La confiance nous donne le courage d'être nous-mêmes et d'être quelque chose pour les autres. Si vous êtes accueilli avec confiance, vous souhaiterez rendre cette confiance. La confiance est synonyme de confiance. La confiance est un pilier sous-jacent de la société.

14 cas

Sous le thème de la CONFIANCE, nous avons créé 14 cas qui serviront d'inspiration aux enfants participants:

TRUST - SYMBOLE : Dessinez un symbole de confiance. Qu'est-ce que la confiance pour vous ? Quelle couleur, quelle forme, quelle figure ?
CONFIANCE - SITUATION : Dessinez une situation dans laquelle vous espérez être accueilli avec confiance.
CONFIANCE - DÉTRESSE : Faites un dessin divisé en deux parties où l'une est un monde plein de confiance et l'autre un monde sans confiance.
CONFIANCE - CARTE POSTALE : Dessinez une carte postale ou créer un gif animé
pour une personne que vous souhaitez remercier pour sa confiance en vous.
CONFIANCE - LIEU : Dessinez l'endroit où vous vous sentez le plus en sécurité et en confiance.
CONFIANCE - CLASSE : A quoi ressemble une classe d'école pleine de confiance ?
CONFIANCE - COURAGE : La confiance crée le courage. Dessine une situation où tu as besoin de courage.
CONFIANCE - AMIS : Dessinez des amis qui ont confiance l'un en l'autre et qui se tiennent la main, et entre eux quelque chose peut grandir.
CONFIANCE - ANIMAUX. Dessinez un animal qui a confiance.
TRUST - TRACKS : Faites un dessin qui montre quelles pistes laissent la confiance.
CONFIANCE - AMITIÉ : Dessinez ce que l'amitié et la confiance signifient pour toi.
CONFIANCE - EXPLOSION. Dessinez une explosion de confiance !
ACCUEIL DE LA CONFIANCE. Dessinez un accueil confiant pour les étrangers. Par exemple, des personnes d'autres pays, des extraterrestres ou d'autres créatures, des villes, des nouveaux venus dans ta classe, etc.
CONFIANCE - IMAGINATION. Dessinez la confiance telle que tu l'imagines.

Ces cas devraient inspirer les enfants et les jeunes à dessiner, peindre, etc., individuellement ou en groupe, et seront chacun présentés sur les médias sociaux en mars. La campagne s'adresse donc aux particuliers, aux jardins d'enfants, aux écoles, aux écoles culturelles et artistiques, etc.

Des informations sur la campagne et ses détails seront disponibles sur nos médias sociaux : https://www.facebook.com/creativecityviborg

Comment participer?

Vous pouvez télécharger votre dessin(s) sur Viborg UNESCO Creative via ce lien:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_nRFAvNk5k2S6f4kPe0Qhv1Sj8n79KhHmCe1eC1yNCFUOU05MjZGSTFCWllROFpETzM4QjI0TDdPNS4u

Comme pour notre campagne 2021, nous travaillerons sur différents formats d'exposition à Viborg, au Danemark et, nous l'espérons, dans le monde entier pour atteindre un public plus large.

Une nouvelle pédagogie

En lien avec la campagne de dessin des années à venir, notre plan est de développer une pédagogie distincte #DrawWithDenmark qui :

- renforce l'imagination générale des enfants et des jeunes et contribue à en faire des citoyens du monde.

- renforce et stimule les compétences artisanales des enfants et des jeunes.

- offre du matériel pour les enfants d'environ 10 ans qui les incite à continuer à dessiner.

- corresponde à l'époque dans laquelle nous vivons et se concentre sur la motivation et l'inspiration, et

- étudie comment les dessins peuvent perdurer dans un monde de nouvelles technologies, de jeux, de films, d'animations et de RV.

Les partenaires de la campagne

Derrière la campagne de dessin #DrawWithDenmark se trouvent les partenaires de Viborg, ville créative de l'UNESCO :

La municipalité de Viborg

The Animation Workshop (TAW)

L'école de culture de Viborg

Viborg Visuals

Lycée visuel

... Nous espérons que vous vous joindrez à nous pour un nouveau voyage dessiné.

Examples of drawings - DrawWithDenmark 2022: TRUST

During 2020, we in Viborg UNESCO Creative City discussed, how can Viborg actively demonstrate what it means to be a UNESCO Creative City knowing that just a few months prior, we had earned this esteemed designation? Also knowing that our designation was a result of three decades of continuously establishing itself as an internationally recognized creative hub, specifically within animation and other visual communication.

In general, we decided to demonstrate who we are – through the way we communicate.” In other words: “Don’t tell it — show it.” As such, it’s clear that Viborg should communicate itself as a Creative City through visual communication.

This among others led to Viborg in January launching a campaign entitled “Draw Hope”, which encouraged children to make drawings that give hope to children all over the world who have suffered because of COVID-19. Partners behind was the UNESCO Secretariat, Drawing Academy (TAW), Viborg Gymnasium (Visual Dep.) & Viborg’s Culture School.

Initially, the campaign was simply going to be part of Denmark’s Appeal – an annual and national charity event, whose 2021 edition Viborg would host on February 6.

But in mid-January, we sensed that the campaign might have international potential. As such, we approached the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and they respond positively – leading to UNESCO encouraging all its 246 Creative Cities to partake in the campaign.

On January 21st, the campaign was launched. Internationally, it became known as #DrawWithDenmark – actively embracing that people outside of Denmark associate our country with great storytelling.

Each day, a new drawing challenge was presented on social media. Themes include the following:

Draw a superhero battling the Coronavirus
Draw a cool piece of armor that can stop COVID-19
Draw a gift you would like to present to another child etc.

Within days, drawings started to arrive from all over the world, including Wuhan in China, Morocco, Columbia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Dubai and York.

The growing success of the campaign, attracted coverage in multiple national media outlets, including the most significant evening news show, TV Avisen.

The campaign was extended twice from its original 12-day duration to a month and a half, culminating on March 11th – the anniversary of Denmark’s nationwide COVID lockdown. By then, more than 3,100 drawings have been submitted from 33 different countries worldwide

Following this an ambitious idea was born: Why not have the National Gallery in Copenhagen do an exhibit with the drawings? So on March 26th more than 400 of the drawings are projected onto the side of the National Gallery building in Copenhagen.

After this, international interest exploded:

Cities in China, Italy and the UK have all expressed an interest in exhibiting the drawings
UNESCO wishes to do so for the General Assembly in Paris in November
The Danish Ministry of Foreign affairs encouraged all Danish embassies around the world to share stories about the campaign
In April, both BBC radio and BBC television did stories on the campaign
An educational book about the drawings is considered
…and more exciting offers are arriving each week

More than a million people have heard about the campaign via social media accounts connected to Viborg and its partners or through external social media posts and press coverage in the 33 countries. In August 2021 it was announced that the campaign was awarded with a record number of the interntaional Stevie Awards.

To conclude, Viborg managed to do what we set out to do: Demonstrate to the world what it means to be a UNESCO Creative City – which is using creativity to generate positive change in a way that makes the world come together.

Short film about #DrawWithDenmark

The idea and creation of hopeful drawings

About Viborg UNESCO Creative City - Media Arts

Below you can get more information about Viborg UNESCO Creative City. We welcome you to an an an amazing world of animation, drawing, gaming, VR, film and phote and not least children and youth culture and creativity.

During the last thirty years a national hub of animation, gaming, XR, new media and innovative children and youth culture has evolved in Viborg through continous partnerships between education, businesses and public authorities. One of the world's best animation schools, The Animation Workshop is a central element in this development.

In 2019, it led to Viborg being designated as one of only 22 UNESCO Creative Cities in the field of Media Arts worldwide: https://mediaartscities.com/

... Thus, connecting to Viborg you will also link up to the leading media arts cities in the world.

The visual, creative Viborg is characterized by a constant flow of knowledge, education, talent and productions, often with a high level of global involvement. This too, makes Viborg a perfect place to establish a studio or a company, that works within entertainment, digital marketing or functional animation, XR and gaming.

The Animation Workshop/VIA University College (TAW)

The Animation Workshop/VIA University College (TAW) is a very central part in our Creative City. It enjoys a strong and wide reputation due to the top educations we provide for the international film industry, yet it is much more than a school. TAW is a part of VIA University College’s School of Business, Technology and Creative Industries and has expertise in the areas of education, culture, communication and business development. To this effect, TAW benefits from a strong international network of artists, professionals, companies, funding institutions and partner schools.

Arsenalet

Arsenalet is Viborg’s creative cluster of businesses working with animation, games and new media. Arsenalet is situated in Viborg right next to The Animation Workshop and home to more than 40 companies, start-ups and freelancers.

VAF

Viborg Animation Festival (VAF) is Denmark’s largest animation festival. For a whole week in September, you can enjoy a carefully curated programme in the cinema for free, visit art exhibitions incorporating animation and VR in art pieces and installations, and attend conferences about learning, health and communication where animation, gaming and new technology play a key role.

Media College Denmark

Media College Denmark, was the first education in Viborg in the visual field when it opened in 1987. It teaches commercial photographers, image editors, professionals in film and TV production, and web masters. With 300 students, this is the biggest school of its kind in the Nordic countries.

Innovative children and youth culture

An innovative children and youth culture is a Viborg stronghold, too. ‘Kulturprinsen’ is an experimental development center for culture for children and youth and works from local to international level to ensure the rights of all children to experience art and culture in their everyday life. At Viborg Culture School, children, youth and adults are taught visual arts & design, music, game design & animation, performing arts and writing.

Learning and education

Within formal education, the municipal Cultural Learning Center offers quality and interdisciplinary collaborations to children and young people, practice-related learning and cultural experiences in close cooperation with local businesses and institutions. VAF elements like ANIMOK and Game Expo invite school children into the world of animation. Animated Learning Lab promotes and facilitates the use of animation and film literacy as a didactic tool in all school subjects.

We look forward to welcome you into Viborg's fascinating world of visual creativity.