Natural Beauty

By Lindsay Renick Mayer and Allison Sawyer

They might need a little bit of human assistance to promote their cause to the world, but cranes do a good job inspiring their youngest advocates all on their own by turning students around the world into artists, environmentalists and ambassadors for peace.

Courtesy of International Crane Foundation

Lena Rykoon's picture is from Cranefest 2000. She is thirteen years old and lives in Russia.

Established in 1996, the International Crane Foundation’s (ICF) “Crane, Bird of Peace International Art Exchange” is a program that, according to ICF, works to “promote understanding among students of different cultures and to share the beauty of cranes and the value of healthy ecosystems needed to sustain people and cranes.” To meet these goals, ICF coordinates the efforts of students from various nations to share their concern for and love of cranes with one another through artwork.

“We wanted to connect the children so they could share their experiences with the cranes,” ICF President Jim Harris says. “Since they all speak different languages, the art exchange is a really good way to do that because art doesn’t need to be translated.”

About 10 different schools in the U.S. participate in the program each year, providing 250-350 two- and three-dimensional pieces of artwork created by students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The students often visit ICF in Baraboo to learn about the importance of environmental conservation and observe the birds that inspire their art. After the students complete the artwork, ICF displays selected pieces and then sends some of them to foreign schools. Similarly, schools from other countries send their students’ work to be displayed at ICF and American schools.

Courtesy of International Crane Foundation

Barbara Palhano is from South River, New Jersey and is fifteen years old. Her picture was featured in Cranefest 2003.

“The crane exchange is a good idea because other people can see what cranes look like,” says Brittney Knudson, a fifth-grader at Westside Elementary School in Reedsburg, who painted a water color picture of a whooping crane standing in a marsh. “It feels good to accomplish something as cool as a crane in water color.”

What began as a cooperative effort solely between the United States and Russia grew so popular that ICF quickly formed exchanges with other countries. Participating nations now include Bhutan, China, Cuba, Nepal and Vietnam, all of which work with ICF on other projects as well. The foundation is also working on establishing exchanges with Africa, Europe and India. The numerous new branches of the program help carry on ICF’s tradition of environmental awareness and promote creative expression and peaceful exchanges among younger generations around the globe.

Courtesy of International Crane Foundation

Grisel Martin's picture was featured in Cranefest. She is 8 years old and lives in Cuba.

“It is a powerful and fun way to connect the cultures of science and aesthetics across cultures and generations,” says Rochelle Robkin, a teacher at Baraboo High School in Baraboo. “We have had many occasions to facilitate international understanding and connections between kids, teachers, researchers, families and conservationists.”

For more information, visit the following site:

International Crane Foundation Art Exchange: Visit this site to learn more about the "Crane, Bird of Peace Internaional Art exchange."