Visual Art at the Olympics

Did you know that the Olympics used to award medals to artists?  Walter Winans’ An American Trotter won gold in the sculpture category at the 1912 games in Stockholm.  Artists involving athletics in their work were invited to compete for the first four decades of the Modern Olympics.  Today, the fine arts continue to play a less competitive role at the games as part of the Cultural Olympiad.  For example, visitors can see many of the faces that made the London games possible at the National Portrait Gallery.  I think the visual arts are an important component of the games because they can communicate to a vast audience, regardless of their nation, ethnicity, or religion.

Thanks to Ally Walton for sending me this interesting article-

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/When-the-Olympics-Gave-Out-Medals-for-Art-163705106.html

Cultural Olympiad-

http://www.london2012.com/about-us/cultural-olympiad/