2024 Programs
365 for Kids
Christmas Bridge CHICAGO–SOFIA
A Virtual Children’s Art Exhibition Celebrating Creativity Across Two Cities
In 2024, Christmas Bridge CHICAGO–SOFIA brought together young artists from two creative communities — SNOWLIKE STUDIO in the Chicagoland area and STUDIO S Educational Center in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Created as a virtual children’s art exhibition, the project celebrated the joy of the holiday season, the imagination of young artists, and the meaningful connection between children growing up in different parts of the world.
Through their artworks, children shared color, warmth, dreams, festive spirit, and creative energy — building a visual bridge between Chicago and Sofia.
About the Project
Christmas Bridge CHICAGO–SOFIA was created to connect children, families, and communities through art during the holiday season.
The exhibition invited young artists ages 5 to 19 to share their creativity in a virtual gallery that could be viewed online by families, friends, educators, and art lovers from Bulgaria, the United States, and beyond.
This project showed that children’s art can travel across borders, bring people together, and create a shared space of joy, imagination, and cultural connection.
Participating Art Centers
SNOWLIKE
STUDIO
Chicagoland, Illinois, USA
STUDIO S
Educational Center
Sofia, Bulgaria
Together, the two centers created a shared online exhibition space where children’s artworks could meet across distance and become part of a cultural dialogue between Chicago and Sofia
View the Virtual Exhibition
Explore the Christmas Bridge CHICAGO–SOFIA virtual exhibition below.
Why This Project Matters
The holiday season is a time of connection, generosity, memory, and light.
Through this virtual exhibition, children had the opportunity to become part of something larger than a classroom assignment. Their artworks became part of a shared cultural experience — one that connected families and communities across two cities and two countries.
Christmas Bridge CHICAGO–SOFIA celebrated not only children’s creativity, but also the power of art to bring people closer, even when they live far apart.
Part of Our Growing Children’s Program
The 2024 Christmas exhibition became one of the early creative projects that helped shape the continuing mission of 365 for Kids: to create meaningful opportunities for children to imagine, create, reflect, and share their voices with the world.
This spirit continues in our later annual programs through art, literature, audio recordings, and written reflections.
