Nearly 500 Brooklyn Grade and Middle School Students
Participating in Art of the Olympians Program
-Art Instruction Provided by Olympians and Paralympians-
Nearly 500 Brooklyn Grade and Middle School Students
Participating in Art of the Olympians Program
Art Instruction Provided by Olympians and Paralympians
Brooklyn, NY (January 6, 2026) – Nearly 500 art students from the Prospect Park region of Brooklyn begin participation in a four-week winter art-in-sports educational program promoting the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy.
The four-week Art of the Olympians program is brought to the Brooklyn area through a state grant awarded to the program by Brooklyn Assemblymember Robert Carroll.
The program, titled “Canvases for a New Century of Champions,” is hosted by the Al Oerter Foundation/Art of the Olympians (AOF/AOTO) in collaboration with the New York City Parks Foundation, members of the New York State Art Teachers Association, and with assistance from our partner, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation.
“I am thrilled to be supporting this collaboration between local schools, the Al Oerter Foundation and the Art of the Olympians, ” indicated Assemblymember Robert Carroll. “This wonderful arts education program not only promotes youth development but also the Olympic ideals of international cooperation and our common humanity.”
Classroom Teachers Working with Former Olympians and Paralympians
Educational instruction for the course is shared between teachers from participating in student art classes and by a team of international Olympian and Paralympian artists. Program lessons for students focus on the history, culture, art, and sport – and how the mix of these elements is beneficial in the development and maturing of youth.
Art students from school classes, grades four to senior level, will also be participating in art contest activities by creating their own art piece symbolic of the Olympic ideals and sports. Submitted art entries will be judged by Olympian/Paralympian artists.
Six Olympian and Paralympian Artists Serving as Instructors/Mentors
Leading the AOTO member Olympian/Paralympian artists’ contingent is AOF’s Roald Bradstock, a two-time Olympian whose affinity for impressionist art has given him the international moniker as the Olympian Picasso. Joining him as instructors are internationally known artists Neil Eckersley and Annabel Eyres of the United Kingdom. Eyres, a former sculler, was chosen by the International Olympic Committee to serve as one of six Olympian artists featured at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Joining Eckersley and Eyres as program instructors are Paralympians Sarah Will and Elizabeth Livingston. Livingston, a former member of the U.S. Nordic ski and Biathlon team, is a graduate of the Parson School of Design. Will is a four-time Paralympian Hall of Fame downhill ski racer. She is a 12-time gold medalist who turned her attention to art. Also, part of the AOTO art instructors’ team is three-time Olympian biathlete Lanny Barnes Siggins and Olympian swimmer Valerie Gruest.
tudent Art Award Ceremony Scheduled for the Botanical Gardens on March 7th
Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded to the best in show student artists in Grades 4,5,6, and 7/8 levels. Competition winners will be announced on March 7 at a student awards program in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
“My husband, Al Oerter, was a proud New Yorker and the Al Oerter Foundation with Art of the Olympians is pleased to offer this unique opportunity for teachers and students in Brooklyn, “explains Cathy Oerter, founder and CEO of the Al Oerter Foundation and Art of the Olympians. “Our Olympian and Paralympian artists will forge students’ creativity to better understand the parallel between art and sports and inspire them to develop into upstanding citizens while the excitement of the Games is happening.”
For more than 20 years, the Al Oerter Foundation/Art of the Olympians has conducted outreach art education programs to nearly 100,000 students worldwide. Presently, the AOTO initiative is dedicated toward expanding its art education program, featuring Olympian and Paralympian artists/athletes, in classrooms internationally in honor of the 2028 LA Summer Olympic Games. In addition, AOTO is planning to revive its former museum collection of Olympian/Paralympian art exhibitions with plans to tour the country before the 2028 Games
Al Oerter Foundation/Art of the Olympians Media Contact: Steve Apesos s.apesos@artoftheolympians.org
ABOUT THE AL OERTER FOUNDATION/ART OF THE OLYMPIANS
The Al Oerter Foundation (AOF) and its program organization – Art of the Olympians (AOTO) – is a Florida chartered not-for-profit foundation created in 2006 by four-time gold medalist Al Oerter. Through Olympian and Paralympian artists, AOF/AOTO uniquely couples art exhibitions with education by providing programs of art, education, sport, and cultural outreach – both nationally and internationally – to inspire individuals (particularly the youth) to uphold the virtues of the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship, respect, and fair play.
Brooklyn, NY (January 6, 2026) – Nearly 500 art students from the Prospect Park region of Brooklyn begin participation in a four-week winter art-in-sports educational program promoting the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy.
The four-week Art of the Olympians program is brought to the Brooklyn area through a state grant awarded to the program by Brooklyn Assemblymember Robert Carroll.
The program, titled “Canvases for a New Century of Champions,” is hosted by the Al Oerter Foundation/Art of the Olympians (AOF/AOTO) in collaboration with the New York City Parks Foundation, members of the New York State Art Teachers Association, and with assistance from our partner, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation.
“I am thrilled to be supporting this collaboration between local schools, the Al Oerter Foundation and the Art of the Olympians, ” indicated Assemblymember Robert Carroll. “This wonderful arts education program not only promotes youth development but also the Olympic ideals of international cooperation and our common humanity.”
Classroom Teachers Working with Former Olympians and Paralympians
Educational instruction for the course is shared between teachers from participating in student art classes and by a team of international Olympian and Paralympian artists. Program lessons for students focus on the history, culture, art, and sport – and how the mix of these elements is beneficial in the development and maturing of youth.
Art students from school classes, grades four to senior level, will also be participating in art contest activities by creating their own art piece symbolic of the Olympic ideals and sports. Submitted art entries will be judged by Olympian/Paralympian artists.
Six Olympian and Paralympian Artists Serving as Instructors/Mentors
Leading the AOTO member Olympian/Paralympian artists’ contingent is AOF’s Roald Bradstock, a two-time Olympian whose affinity for impressionist art has given him the international moniker as the Olympian Picasso. Joining him as instructors are internationally known artists Neil Eckersley and Annabel Eyres of the United Kingdom. Eyres, a former sculler, was chosen by the International Olympic Committee to serve as one of six Olympian artists featured at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Joining Eckersley and Eyres as program instructors are Paralympians Sarah Will and Elizabeth Livingston. Livingston, a former member of the U.S. Nordic ski and Biathlon team, is a graduate of the Parson School of Design. Will is a four-time Paralympian Hall of Fame downhill ski racer. She is a 12-time gold medalist who turned her attention to art. Also, part of the AOTO art instructors’ team is three-time Olympian biathlete Lanny Barnes Siggins and Olympian swimmer Valerie Gruest.
Student Art Award Ceremony Scheduled for the Botanical Gardens on March 7th
Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded to the best in show student artists in Grades 4,5,6, and 7/8 levels. Competition winners will be announced on March 7 at a student awards program in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.
“My husband, Al Oerter, was a proud New Yorker and the Al Oerter Foundation with Art of the Olympians is pleased to offer this unique opportunity for teachers and students in Brooklyn, “explains Cathy Oerter, founder and CEO of the Al Oerter Foundation and Art of the Olympians. “Our Olympian and Paralympian artists will forge students’ creativity to better understand the parallel between art and sports and inspire them to develop into upstanding citizens while the excitement of the Games is happening.”
For more than 20 years, the Al Oerter Foundation/Art of the Olympians has conducted outreach art education programs to nearly 100,000 students worldwide. Presently, the AOTO initiative is dedicated toward expanding its art education program, featuring Olympian and Paralympian artists/athletes, in classrooms internationally in honor of the 2028 LA Summer Olympic Games. In addition, AOTO is planning to revive its former museum collection of Olympian/Paralympian art exhibitions with plans to tour the country before the 2028 Games
Al Oerter Foundation/Art of the Olympians Media Contact: Steve Apesos s.apesos@artoftheolympians.org
ABOUT THE AL OERTER FOUNDATION/ART OF THE OLYMPIANS
The Al Oerter Foundation (AOF) and its program organization – Art of the Olympians (AOTO) – is a Florida chartered not-for-profit foundation created in 2006 by four-time gold medalist Al Oerter. Through Olympian and Paralympian artists, AOF/AOTO uniquely couples art exhibitions with education by providing programs of art, education, sport, and cultural outreach – both nationally and internationally – to inspire individuals (particularly the youth) to uphold the virtues of the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship, respect, and fair play.
