Julie Nedelec

Ambassador Julie Nedelec personifies the artistic youth of the 21^st century and the energetic demeanor with which this new youth are approaching the dynamic problems of civilization as an integral function of the arts.

Ms. Nedelec was born in Marseille, France and by the age of 12 her precocious talent for painting won her the distinction of Marseille’s best young artist.

She rounded her academic studies at the Beaux arts of Perpingnan in France, and now divides her time between Naples Florida, London and France.

Her recent work has drawn attention to her creative powers and the emotional charge that the abstract canvases bathed in exquisite colors exude.

I am delighted to have such a talented artist join the WPMP family, welcome ambassador Nedelec.

WPMP Ambassador to France Julie Nedelec Collaborates on "A Mural for El Tejar "

Sometime in June, 2007 Ambassador Julie Nedelec and a fellow artist Sydney Vesely collaborated in the project that took them to Guatemala and the town of El Tejar. There, at the el Cedin Pre-school where they taught an art class and together with the children painted a mural designed to give the children a sense of location within their environment as they painted their own homes within the landscape.

These children where also given an unforgettable experience namely that they now know first hand what it feels like to to engage in the creative process and experience the results in the shape of a lasting contribution to their school environment and to their own sense of worth.

WPMP ambassadors are laying the foundations that will make peace more visible that ever before as in the wake of their deeds a new generation embraces a culture of peace.

I'm reprinting a short essay written by Ambassador Nedelec and following it with a number of images from the experience.

A mural for El Tejar at the Cedin Pre-school in Guatemala

This past June, I had the great opportunity to experience one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. Thanks to my very good friend Sydney and her father Bob Vesely, I was put in contact with a non-profit organization called “Child Aid” which developed into a trip to Guatemala for a few weeks.

Sydney and I were sent to the town of El Tejar where we lived with and received the warm hospitality of a local family. We taught an art class at the CEDIN pre-school. The children were between 3 and 6 years old, and the most well mannered children I have ever met.

We worked with them over a period of a couple of weeks to create a mural depicting the native landscape. Watching their creative energy blossom as they took brush in hand and painted images of their homes onto the landscape of the mural, I think that I had more fun than the kids themselves! The mural completed was proof of the amount of creativity that these children have in store as their future unfolds.

I was very sad when it was time to leave; I’m looking forward to going back and spending more time there.

I would like to thank John Van Keppel, Child Aid Project director for Guatemala, Sylvia the principal of CEDIN and her staff for welcoming us to their school.

If you would like more info about this organization here is the internet site www.child-aid.org.

Julie Nedelec

Naples, 2007