World Art Day - The contrast rich region in the sign of art

Originally, this day was always celebrated on the second Friday in August. In 2012, however, it was agreed to fix World Art Day on April 15, and for a special reason. The choice was made in honour of Leonardo da Vinci on his birthday and represents not only great art, but also stands for tolerance, world peace, freedom of expression and multi-culturalism.

Creative expression without borders

Our world is colourful, diverse and multi-faceted. So cultures and people are different all over the world and therefore there are also endless definitions and forms of art. Architecture, music, paintings, fashion, dance as well as literature and cinema - there are no limits to creative expression. Art is a form of communication with ourselves and with others, and further it helps us gaining new perspectives.

My World Art Day in Saalfelden Leogang

For this reason, World Art Day is an opportunity to promote the development of art. In addition, it is encouraged to give free rein to your own creativity and to be inspired to a personal art project. In the process, I also thought of something creative that I could implement to celebrate World Art Day. My general idea was that all my impressions of our beautiful region Saalfelden Leogang are united and visually represented. So, I decided to create a collage that represents all the traits of the region.

At the beginning, I start by collecting all the materials I need. Among them are a white poster, pens, glue, scissors and brochures, flyers and our magazines from the previous three years, from which I cut out the suitable images and graphics.

My goal is to build the collage like a mind map. I started by creating the headline in the middle. Then I browsed through my collected materials and cut out all the illustrations that to me seemed appropriate and that I particularly liked. After I had collected some material, I started to glue and locate all the graphics around my headline.

All aspects combined

I have divided my collage into four themes. I started with the top left corner, which is dedicated to skiing and represents a major aspect of the region. The right side is likewise still winter and represents the Nordic sports. When you look further down, you'll see hiking and biking. To the left, I have visualized our events and cultural highlights. In addition, I have highlighted the regionality, which also plays an important role in our region.

Overall, I am very happy with the result. The main aspects with which I associate Saalfelden Leogang are reflected in my collage.

Art all year round

The appreciation for art and culture is not only celebrated here on World Art Day, but can be recognized throughout the entire year in the region. Numerous events are organized in Saalfelden Leogang. Very important is the Jazz Festival, which has been a meeting occation for the international Jazz scene for over 40 years. Under the motto "tradition meets modernity", the Alm:Kultur also takes place every year. Through various concerts and workshops our alpine huts become weekly cultural hotspots. But not only the range of events is well-stocked, numerous exhibitions and special shows also grace the region rich in contrasts throughout the year.The Mining and Gothic Museum in Leogang as well as the Schloss Ritzen Museum play an important role here. Not to be forgotten is also the Kunsthaus Nexus, which has been offering art and culture for every taste for over a decade.

Music, art, tradition, culture and much more characterize the region rich in contrasts and are particularly appreciated today on World Art Day.

Photos: Michael Geißler, Susanne Bayer Fotografie, Peter Kühnl and saalfelden-leogang.com