MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 2006--The Fundacion Cisneros has announced the launch in Mexico City of Think Art (Piensa en Arte), its new international visual-arts education program based on the Coleccion Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC--www.coleccioncisneros.org). A key component of the Fundacion Cisneros's educational mission, this innovative program--presented in conjunction with CPPC traveling exhibitions--trains teachers to use artworks to develop students' cognitive skills, while at the same time fostering in them a love of art. The Mexico City launch is a collaboration between the Fundacion Cisneros and the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, where the exhibition Exchanging Views: Visions of Latin America in the Coleccion Patricia Phelps de Cisneros is on view August 2 - October 22, 2006.

The Fundacion Cisneros was founded by Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, Gustavo Cisneros, and Ricardo Cisneros, in association with the Cisneros Group of Companies. The Caracas-based Fundacion initiates and supports a wide range of innovative programs, many of which leverage the resources of the Cisneros Group of Companies to reach ever-greater audiences. Fundacion Cisneros programs focus on education and culture, and increasing global awareness of Latin America's contributions to world culture.

Mrs. Cisneros notes, "The Think Art program provides teachers with a methodology that has been systematically developed, evaluated, and refined over ten years. We are thrilled to have created such a dynamic program, which not only develops children's appreciation of art, but also builds and hones many skills that are crucial to life-long learning."

From August 7 to 11, 2006, approximately forty teachers in Mexico City will participate in a comprehensive Think Art course, offered in collaboration with education directors from several prestigious Mexican cultural and educational institutions. In addition, beginning August 14, an estimated 600 Mexican primary- and secondary-school teachers will participate in professional-development workshops focusing on the Exchanging Views exhibition.

All participating teachers will receive an educators' guide that enables them to continue using the Think Art program and to draw upon its community of educators, as well as the CPPC website, after the exhibition has closed. The guide includes an explanation of the Think Art methodology, posters of artworks, and "Art Cards." These depict individual artworks and include suggested questions and topics for discussion, contextual information, and complementary activities. The art highlighted in the guide includes works by the Uruguayan Joaquin Torres-Garcia, Venezuelan artists Armando Reveron and Francisco Narvaez, and Brazilian artists Helio Oiticica and Mira Schendel, among others.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

Fundacié³n Cisneros

Fundacié³n Cisneros

The Cisneros Group of Companies is one of the largest privately held media, entertainment, technology, and consumer products organizations in the world. The Group owns, or holds interests in companies ranging from broadcast television networks and pay television services, to beverage businesses and supermarkets. Through its diverse businesses, the Cisneros Group of Companies delivers some of the top brands and the highest quality services to the 550 million Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking consumers in the Americas and Europe. The Group has recently expanded its activities from Ibero-America to countries worldwide.

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