Celebrating the Importance of Art!
Dr. Jeni Stepanek, President of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation, celebrated the Montgomery County World Arts Day proclamation with other local leaders and organizations.
World Art Day is an international celebration held annually on April 15 to promote awareness of creative activity, fine arts, and cultural diversity worldwide.
Declared by the International Association of Art (IAA) and supported by UNESCO, it honors Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday as a symbol of peace, freedom of expression, and brotherhood.
In a brief statement following the proclamation reading, Stepanek mentioned the Foundation’s new Peace TAP (Peace Through Arts & Poetry) program, the Foundation’s Heartongs2Mosaics workshops, and the upcoming annual “Community Peace Day Mosaic” activity planned for July 11.
Mattie’s Foundation continues the “peace – purpose – play” mission and work of the late teen poet and peace ambassador who passed away in 2004 just before his 14th birthday due to complications of neuromuscular disease. Mattie left the world seven bestselling books filled with poetry, essays, and artwork – each filled his messages of Heartsongs and hope and “pathways to peace.”
Learn more about the 2026 Peace Day here…
Learn more about the Foundation’s
Peace TAP program here…