Worldbird: on Children's Carnival of Cultures in Berlin.

Summertime in Berlin means sun and fun! For the past eight years, summer has brought the Children's Carnival of Cultures and the Carnival of Cultures. These two events are well known in Germany, and many international tourists also visit this colorful celebration. The festival includes parties, outdoor activities and stage performances, as well as arts and crafts representing the nearly

two hundred cultures living in Berlin. The main attractions of the carnival, however, are the parades. They are a color sensation! This year, ICAF participated for the first time.

Children ages four to eight were asked to create sculptures on the topic "Weltvogel", or "Worldbird". Worldbird symbolizes the increasing extinction rate of birds, and encourages children to think about nature. The young sculptors and their Worldbirds marched in the Children's Carnival Procession on May 22nd. They created a wide variety of birds, including costumes, lanterns, and sculptures, out of materials such as papier mache, recycled materials, fabric, and clay.

Sculptor Rosemarie Schroder built a large bird to accompany the young artists' ones. Amy Miller, an actress from New York who was visiting Germany, was hidden inside to entertain the children. Bryan Miller, Master of Fine Arts (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, USA) and Muralist, who lives in Berlin with his family, served as chairman for the judging panel of experts in arts and pedagogy.

ICAF is grateful for the support by KOIKOM--Culture & Arts and the amazing spontaneous donations by several companies such as Olympus Cameras for the photos they made possible, as well as Scout and Pusterfix.