For well over a year, two local organizations collected art from children across the globe with plans to display the work during Atlanta’s Nobel summit. The theme for the exhibit was simple: “My Dream of Peace.”
But that dream was nearly lost when the event fell apart earlier this year over disputes between its lead organizer, Mohammad Bhuiyan, and several of the city's most prominent leaders, including Mayor Kasim Reed. As a result of the discord, which involved accusations of mismanagement and racism, the Rome-based organization that oversees the annual Nobel meetings moved the summit to Barcelona.
With roughly 2,500 of pieces of artwork on the line, the nonprofits — International Paint Pals and Friendship Force International — arranged to have their exhibit moved to Barcelona, as well. This week, as several Nobel laureates gather in Spain for the peace summit, Paint Pals and Friendship Force will unveil a collection of youth artwork curated from more than 90 countries.
“What we’re trying to do with the exhibit is follow through on the promises we made to all these kids around the world,” said Linden Longino, a retired banker who heads Paint Pals.
Longino, who in the 1990s worked on The Carter Center’s “Atlanta Project” initiative geared toward addressing poverty, began organizing childrens’ art exhibitions ahead of the 1996 Olympic Games, he said. He believes art is a vehicle to discuss broader themes. Across the world, teachers and coordinators spoke with children — many in war-torn countries — about what peace means to them.
“The educational aspect of it is, to me, more important than the art,” he said. “The art is just the vehicle for kids to express themselves.”
Atlanta drew international headlines earlier this year when the summit — intended to draw Nobel laureates and humanitarian organizations from around the world to Georgia — fell apart over conflicts with Bhuiyan. Bhuiyan is the CEO of Yunus Creative Lab, the nonprofit that helped secure the summit for Atlanta. He and his wife, Shamima Amin, began the nonprofit with micro-lending guru Muhammad Yunus, who resigned from his own organization in April.
Reed and several other Atlantans clashed with Bhuiyan on hiring decisions, his leadership style and issues such as which institution should house donations. The mayor pulled Atlanta’s support for the event in March. Bhuiyan has publicly accused many participants of trying to derail his efforts. The former college administrator, who is Bangladeshi, has also said racism is at play.
Now, at least one organization is attempting to recoup its sponsorship fees from Bhuiyan and Yunus Creative Lab. In October, the Fulbright Association filed suit for breach of contract and is seeking the return of $25,000 it gave to the event.
Longino said he wants to help rebuild Atlanta’s image while in Spain. “We hope that doing the exhibit will put Atlanta in a good light.”
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