On April 15 – World Art Day – few things could bring home how much art is revered and loved than the fire consuming Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. At the artists’ celebration of World Art Day in the garden of Becky and Randy Mate’s home in Sunland, Lauren Perreau, a guest artist from France, sang a moving French song and dedicated it to Notre Dame and the French people. Early arriving guests made Mail Art to send as a reply to the Mail Art gathered from around the world by ArtistsForABetterWorld.org. Perreau quickly drew what was burning in her heart, Notre Dame aflame, to send to artist Leslie Atkins in the Netherlands. All guests were gifted art from The Great Art Trade table; Perreau was gifted a recent painting by Mate of the Eiffel Tower.

World Art Day is a worldwide celebration of the arts, declared by the International Association of Art (IAA/AIAP), a partner of UNESCO, to promote awareness of creative activity worldwide. The first World Art Day was held on April 15, 2012, a date chosen in honor of the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci. As a symbol of world peace, freedom of expression, tolerance and brotherhood, World Art Day is celebrated around the world.

Artists and others embraced the spirit of the culture by promoting or celebrating World Art Day in 2019 in large and small ways. Around the world, from church announcements to social media proclamations, notice was given about World Art Day. For example, in Michigan, Bob Lawrason of Onoway wrote a poem, “Forest Pond Paradise,” that would be engraved into wood and displayed at the edge of his pond as one of the attractions on an upcoming guided tour of his 34-acre nature site. Mohammed Adjei Sowah, mayor of Accra, the capitol city of Ghana, Africa, held a beautification cleanup at the Arts Centre and had artists paint murals on the walls of Kimbu Senior High School for World Art Day. He declared Accra a “City of Art” and spoke of making space available for works of prominent artists.

Originally from India, 90-year-old poet/writer Yatindra Bhatnagar saw a flier at his local library for the Sunland, Los Angeles garden celebration of World Art Day. He attended and read a poem and presented his novel.

“This was wonderful,” he said of the Sunland event. “It was lively, friendly and very social. I gained so much, talked with others, and exchanged views. This is how we should live. It solves problems if we are in close communication. This helps build community. In India, we are all family – the whole world is our family.”

Rebecca Mate, whose garden party included visual art displays, songs, poetry, tasty samples of Nicaraguan chocolate from small batch artisan chocolatier Scott Morris of Bouquet Chocolates, and an art hunt for the kids, said, “I love the small moments at my yearly arts party. All of us writers create emotional effects. I had fun reciting poetry back and forth with Micah Johnson of Malibu, and [was] moved by past poet laureatte Joe DeCenzo, who poetically dug deep to find the humanity in his aunt with declining mental capacity.

“I love the big moments, too. Having a growing World Art Day movement each April 15 creates a brotherhood of creative, independent souls around the globe. These are our cultural influencers who will lead us to a better world.”

For more information about World Art Day and its predecessor Art Day, visit ArtistsForABetterWorld.org or email Becky Mate at artday@earthlink.net.