Abrakadoodle’s 2011 conference kicked off Friday, April 29^th with a reception at the Art Whino Gallery located at the National Harbor near Washington, DC. The colorful event, filmed by a local news service on behalf of NBC News, featured live painting on human and man-made canvas by Gary Cole, the world’s fastest face-painter, as well as Natasha Wescoat, an Abrakadoodle Artist of Distinction. Abrakadoodle’s expansive classes, camps, parties and special events run the gamut of the visual arts, bringing the joy of art into the lives of many thousands of children in the US and with a growing global program in China, Macau, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, as well as a sub-franchise in Singapore.

Dan Pink, author of “A Whole New Mind” and “Drive,” among others, provided a keynote presentation for conferees. During a pre-conference interview, Dan Pink said, “Abrakadoodle is really doing some amazing work here, and it goes back to this point about art education – not as something ornamental but as something fundamental.” Watch an excerpt of his remarks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQWZH9xH_5U.

Abrakadoodle co-founders Mary Rogers and Rosemarie Hartnett reported a record number of annual parent survey responses, which were up 48-percent over last year. 93-percent of parents reported that they were “happy,” “very happy or “Wowed” by the Abrakadoodle program, with the highest number of responses in the WOW category – 331 Wows.

“We are making great strides with respect to our goals for enriching children’s lives with valuable creative programming, having reached nearly half-a-million children through our art programs,” remarked Mary Rogers, MA. Ed, Cofounder and CEO of Abrakadoodle. “Although I am not surprised, I am very impressed by the great work and impressive reviews garnered by Abrakadoodle directors at locations nationwide, which demonstrates our commitment to delivering quality art experiences that contribute to an innovation nation.”