AOTO Collection Now Onsite in Lake Placid Olympic Complex

In preparation for AOTO’s “Olympism” art in sport curriculum program planned for Northern New York public schools this winter, the Lake Placid Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) is displaying Olympic art at several of its venues beginning this fall.The art is specifically from the AOTO gallery and is being displayed at the ORDA Olympic Training Center and Mt Van Hovenberg Olympic Sports Complex. AOTO is supported by the Al Oerter Foundation.

AOTO Collection Now Onsite in Lake Placid Olympic Complex

In preparation for AOTO’s “Olympism” art in sport curriculum program planned for Northern New York public schools this winter, the Lake Placid Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) is displaying Olympic art at several of its venues beginning this fall.The art is specifically from the AOTO gallery and is being displayed at the ORDA Olympic Training Center and Mt Van Hovenberg Olympic Sports Complex. AOTO is supported by the Al Oerter Foundation.

Olympic Region Art in Sports Program Information Guide

Olympic Region Art in Sports Program Information Guide

WHO IS AOF/AOTO? This not-for-profit organization was founded in 2007 by legendary discus thrower, Al Oerter, who became the first person to win a gold medal in four consecutive Olympic Game while setting Olympic distance throwing records in each competition.

OUR PROGRAM MISSION:  A program introducing value-based educational programming through AOF/AOTO’s successful art with sports educational model. The program’s educational goal is to present lessons that focus on history, culture, sport, role models and art – and how the mix of these elements are beneficial in the development and maturing of youth. The underlying program principle is to promote the ideals of Olympism through visual instruction using art with sports.

OUR OLYMPIC REGION HERITAGE BACKGROUND: Northern New York is an Olympian hotbed. Per capita, there is no area within the United States where more resident athletes have become Olympians. The region has a rich winter sports history with at least one athlete from this region competing at every Winter Olympic Games. Beginning in January we turn the page on the first 100 years of Winter Olympic Games.

A PROGRAM THEME FOCUSED ON THIS REGION’S OLYMPIC SPORTS HERITAGE: To commemorate this region’s Olympic history, AOF/AOTO has elected to honor the passage of many notable North Country winter athletic accomplishments. Our program, “Olympism – A New Century of Art in Sports.”

 

STUDENT ART COMPETITION: A portion of the program seeks to have participating art students create their own artwork focusing on the region’s rich winter sports history and perhaps highlighting the changes and challenges that have occurred throughout the first 100 years of Winter Olympics.

 

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION INFORMATION:

 

DELIVERY SCHEDULE OF PROGRAM LESSON PLANS: “Olympism – A New Century of Art in Sports” program lesson plans will be delivered electronically to you on Wednesday, November 13. You will receive guidance on how to upload the program’s lesson plan outline and other supporting documents.

 

WHEN DOES THE NORTH COUNTRY PROGRAM BEGIN: In-class instruction by our team of skilled international Olympian artists will begin the first week after the Christmas/New Year holiday break. Instruction by our Olympian artists will begin the week of January 6, 2025, and conclude during the week of February 24. We are aware that winter break for most participating classes will be held the week prior.

 

FLEXIBLE CLASS TEACHING SCHEDULE: Your class assigned Olympian artist will reach out to you prior to the start of our instructional program to discuss and verify teaching session times to meet your lesson plan scheduled needs.

 

CREATION OF ARTWORK BY STUDENTS: Participating students will be tasked with creating an Olympic/Paralympic themed inspired artwork whose focus should involve North Country/Olympic Region winter sports history.

 

ARTWORK SIZE AND MEDIUM: Student artwork must be created in a horizontal format with a suggested size of 8 ½ x 12 up to 16 x 20. Artwork may be presented in colored paper, chalk, charcoal, colored pencil, ink, pastels, acrylic pain, watercolor, graphite pencil, markers, or mixed media.

 

SELECTION OF STUDENT ARTWORK: The best student artwork – selected by you – will become a finalist in our three-country Olympic Region art contest. You may submit up to five student works of art for juried judging within three levels: elementary, middle school, and high school. Electronic digital PDF submission of your selections must be received by February 27 to Roald Bradstock at roald.bradstock@yahoo.com.

 

WHERE TO SEND ORIGINAL STUDENT ARTWORK: Your selected finalist artwork – in addition to digital submission – should be physically sent to Lake Placid either by hand delivery or mail delivery. (Address will be provided to you by January 31). Please forward the actual selected artwork in a mailing tube. Please mail your finalist’s originals by February 27.

 

GALLERY OF ARTWORK: Original student artwork submitted by you for judging will be hung in gallery format within the award ceremony conference hall for public display during our March 8 award and celebration.

 

HELP US RECOGNIZE YOUR STUDENTS: Help us promote your class participation by taking digital photos/videos and forwarding them to estransenback@gmail.com. Many of your supplied photos will become part of a photo slideshow presented at our March 8 awards celebration. We are mindful – and you are too – that some parents of your students have asked that photos of their child not be taken or used publicly. To ensure that this request is honored, a waiver will be sent to you for its distribution and parental signature. Please bring these waivers with you on March 8.

 

OUR MARCH 8 AWARDS CELEBRATION:

 

TICKETS TO WORLD BOBSLED/SKELETON CHAMPIONSHIP: The Olympic Authority (ORDA) will be providing all participating program student artists with free access to the 2025 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. Information will be forwarded to you by the Olympic Authority weeks prior to the championship.

 

PARENTS INVITED TO ATTEND AWARDS CELEBRATION: Any participating art student is invited, along with their parents and family, to attend our March 8 awards celebration.

 

WHERE AND WHEN IS THE AWARDS CELEBRATION: The awards celebration will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Lussi Ballroom of the Lake Placid Olympic Conference Center.

 

ACCESS TO THE AWARDS CELEBRATION: All art students participating in AOTO’s Art-In-Sports program are invited to attend the March 8 awards program. Wrist bands will be sent to classroom teachers for distribution to each participating art student. Wrist bands, worn by student artists, will provide event access for them and their families.

 

PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATES AND MEDALS: Each participating student will be given a personalized program participation certificate. Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals will be awarded to the top three student artists from each participation level: Grade, Middle, and High School.

RETURN OF ORIGINAL ARTWORK: If possible, original student artwork will be given to their award ceremony attending classroom teachers. Original artwork, not returned after the award ceremony, will be sent to respective teachers of participating art students.

 

OLYMPIAN AUTOGRAPH TABLE: An Olympian autograph signing table is planned within the hall. It is our hope to have a strong contingent of Olympian medalists present to provide autographs.

 

DIGITAL SLIDESHOW: Your submitted classroom digital photographs will become a part of a program slideshow to be shown before and after the awards program. An electronic copy of the slideshow will be available to teachers of participating classes.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS GALLERY EXHIBIT: A gallery exhibit, featuring artwork by world famous sports artist LeRoy Neiman and from members of 
Art of the Olympians, will be on display at the Olympic Center during the March 8 weekend.

WHO IS AOF/AOTO? This not-for-profit organization was founded in 2007 by legendary discus thrower, Al Oerter, who became the first person to win a gold medal in four consecutive Olympic Game while setting Olympic distance throwing records in each competition.


OUR PROGRAM MISSION: A program introducing value-based educational programming through AOF/AOTO’s successful art with sports educational model. The program’s educational goal is to present lessons that focus on history, culture, sport, role models and art – and how the mix of these elements are beneficial in the development and maturing of youth. The underlying program principle is to promote the ideals of Olympism through visual instruction using art with sports.

 

OUR OLYMPIC REGION HERITAGE BACKGROUND: Northern New York is an Olympian hotbed. Per capita, there is no area within the United States where more resident athletes have become Olympians. The region has a rich winter sports history with at least one athlete from this region competing at every Winter Olympic Games. Beginning in January we turn the page on the first 100 years of Winter Olympic Games.


A PROGRAM THEME FOCUSED ON THIS REGION’S OLYMPIC SPORTS HERITAGE: To 
commemorate this region’s Olympic history, AOF/AOTO has elected to honor the passage of many notable North Country winter athletic accomplishments. Our program, “Olympism – A New Century of Art in Sports.”

 

STUDENT ART COMPETITION: A portion of the program seeks to have participating art students create their own artwork focusing on the region’s rich winter sports history and perhaps highlighting the changes and challenges that have occurred throughout the first 100 years of Winter Olympics.

 

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION INFORMATION:


DELIVERY SCHEDULE OF PROGRAM LESSON PLANS: “Olympism – A New Century of Art in Sports” program lesson plans will be delivered electronically to you on Wednesday, November 13. You will receive guidance on how to upload the program’s lesson plan outline and other supporting documents.

WHEN DOES THE NORTH COUNTRY PROGRAM BEGIN: In-class instruction by our team of skilled international Olympian artists will begin the first week after the Christmas/New Year holiday break. Instruction by our Olympian artists will begin the week of January 6, 2025, and conclude during the week of February 24. We are aware that winter break for most participating classes will be held the week prior.

FLEXIBLE CLASS TEACHING SCHEDULE: Your class assigned Olympian artist will reach out to you prior to the start of our instructional program to discuss and verify teaching session times to meet your lesson plan scheduled needs.

CREATION OF ARTWORK BY STUDENTS: Participating students will be tasked with creating an Olympic/Paralympic themed inspired artwork whose focus should involve North Country/Olympic Region winter sports history.

 ARTWORK SIZE AND MEDIUM: Student artwork must be created in a horizontal format with a suggested size of 8 ½ x 12 up to 16 x 20. Artwork may be presented in colored paper, chalk, charcoal, colored pencil, ink, pastels, acrylic pain, watercolor, graphite pencil, markers, or mixed media.

 SELECTION OF STUDENT ARTWORK: The best student artwork – selected by you – will become a finalist in our three-country Olympic Region art contest. You may submit up to five student works of art for juried judging within three levels: elementary, middle school, and high school. Electronic digital PDF submission of your selections must be received by February 27 to Roald Bradstock at roald.bradstock@yahoo.com.

 WHERE TO SEND ORIGINAL STUDENT ARTWORK: Your selected finalist artwork – in addition to digital submission – should be physically sent to Lake Placid either by hand delivery or mail delivery. (Address will be provided to you by January 31). Please forward the actual selected artwork in a mailing tube. Please mail your finalist’s originals by February 27.

 

GALLERY OF ARTWORK: Original student artwork submitted by you for judging will be hung in gallery format within the award ceremony conference hall for public display during our March 8 award and celebration.

 

HELP US RECOGNIZE YOUR STUDENTS: Help us promote your class participation by taking digital photos/videos and forwarding them to estransenback@gmail.com. Many of your supplied photos will become part of a photo slideshow presented at our March 8 awards celebration. We are mindful – and you are too – that some parents of your students have asked that photos of their child not be taken or used publicly. To ensure that this request is honored, a waiver will be sent to you for its distribution and parental signature. Please bring these waivers with you on March 8.

 

OUR MARCH 8 AWARDS CELEBRATION:

 

TICKETS TO WORLD BOBSLED/SKELETON CHAMPIONSHIP: The Olympic Authority (ORDA) will be providing all participating program student artists with free access to the 2025 World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. Information will be forwarded to you by the Olympic Authority weeks prior to the championship.

 

PARENTS INVITED TO ATTEND AWARDS CELEBRATION: Any participating art student is invited, along with their parents and family, to attend our March 8 awards celebration.

 

WHERE AND WHEN IS THE AWARDS CELEBRATION: The awards celebration will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Lussi Ballroom of the Lake Placid Olympic Conference Center.

 

ACCESS TO THE AWARDS CELEBRATION: All art students participating in AOTO’s Art-In-Sports program are invited to attend the March 8 awards program. Wrist bands will be sent to classroom teachers for distribution to each participating art student. Wrist bands, worn by student artists, will provide event access for them and their families.

 

PARTICIPATION CERTIFICATES AND MEDALS: Each participating student will be given a personalized program participation certificate. Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals will be awarded to the top three student artists from each participation level: Grade, Middle, and High School.

RETURN OF ORIGINAL ARTWORK: If possible, original student artwork will be given to their award ceremony attending classroom teachers. Original artwork, not returned after the award ceremony, will be sent to respective teachers of participating art students.

 

OLYMPIAN AUTOGRAPH TABLE: An Olympian autograph signing table is planned within the hall. It is our hope to have a strong contingent of Olympian medalists present to provide autographs.

 

DIGITAL SLIDESHOW: Your submitted classroom digital photographs will become a part of a program slideshow to be shown before and after the awards program. An electronic copy of the slideshow will be available to teachers of participating classes.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS GALLERY EXHIBIT: A gallery exhibit, featuring artwork by world famous sports artist LeRoy Neiman and from members of 
Art of the Olympians, will be on display at the Olympic Center during the March 8 weekend.