Kids Parliament Annual Art Competition 2011

Panel of Judges

MARLA JOY – Singer from New York, USA.
www.marlajoy.com

Anyone who has had the opportunity to hear Marla Joy sing live has agreed, her vocals are the likes of which haven’t been heard in decades and she sings from a place that seems well beyond her years. 
 The child of an unconventional upbringing, Marla found herself on her own for the first time at the early age of 14. “While kids my age were thinking about what to wear to school, I was worried about where I was gonna sleep”. 
 This early introduction to the heavy realities of life are what Marla ironically has to thank for her introduction to the great artists that have influenced and guided her to where she gratefully is today. “I turned to music…not popular music at the time. I would listen to Aretha, Marvin, Stevie, Janis Joplin, Jimmi Hendrix, Bob Marley, I felt it was the only thing I could really connect to. The songs are undeniable, but it was the honesty, the emotion that they’d tell the story with, I could relate to the words, the feelings, everything, it was the soul.” Being classically trained on the piano, as early as age four, and with her natural gift of a voice, Marla knew from before she could remember she was an artist, a performer, a singer, and a story teller. Doing theatre in her younger years, agents were quick to offer their assistance, but it wasn’t until Marla found her true calling that things started to take shape. 
“All that matters to me is to be able to make music and sing music that people can feel and be moved by. It’s true I’ve fallen many times, but I believe having to keep getting back up is what made me who I am today. I feel all those experiences in the bottom of my soul every time I sing and I hope people can hear, see, and feel that.”

Karl (Kalli) Guðmundsson - Art student/artist - Iceland
www.kalli25.net

Karl attended the School of Visual Arts in Akureyri; courses for children and youth, for eight years. Since the year 2000 he has attended on regular basis the studio of artist – art educator Rosa Juliusdottir for co-operative work and study in the visual arts. 2003 - 2007 Kalli studied at the Vocational Upper Secondary School in Akureyri where he graduated from the visual arts program. Karl has held several private art exhibitions and participated in many co-operative art exhibitions in Akureyri as well as Reykjavík and abroad. In May 2009 he opened a private art exhibition KALLI25 which is a part of the art festival Art without borders. In June the same year he and Rosa Juliusdottir, opened a co-operative art exhibition; Cloths of Heaven and dancing lines. Karl and Rosa have given presentation about their co-operative working. Last summer 2010, they attended the International VSA Education Conference in Washington DC, where they held a lecture.

Hendrikka Waage - Jewellry designer and best seller book author – UK
wwww.hendrikkawaage.com

Icelandic entrepreneur, Hendrikka Waage, is an internationally known jewelry designer, philanthropist, children’s books author, global activist and campaigner for children. Internationally educated, Hendrikka has a BS degree in business, a MBA in international business and has studied art history at Oxford University. She has worked and lived in countries from Japan, to Russia, to India, the US, and the UK, where she lives now. Elegant, striking, and exquisitely crafted, her jewelry has graced the pages of international fashion magazines such as Vogue, Baazar, Marie Claire, and Elle, and many others. In addition to design, Hendrikka is also passionate about education. Her desire to provide and promote educational opportunities has led to her to write her first series of children’s books which aim to educate children about their native culture as well as the different cultures of their peers. The first book in the series, entitled “Rikka and Her Magic Ring“, recounts the adventures of nine year old Rikka, who is gifted with a magical ring that transports her around her native Iceland.

Lukasz Szozda – Flash animator and graphic designer - Poland
www.lukfilms.pl

Born in Bielsko-Biata, Poland in 1983. Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warshaw in the workshop of multimedia artistic creation with an anexee in animation. Graduated with honors. Working as a freelance Flash animator and a graphig designer. Winner of the Democracy Video Challange. Received awards for animated short films, comics and graphic desgins. Passionate for animation since childhood. Happy that he can do what he loves.

Hendrikka Hlif – Artist – Iceland
Hendrikka Hlif is a 8 year old girl from Kopavogur Iceland who loves to draw and paint. Her artistic ability started several years ago and her main hobby is to draw and paint pictures.