It's World Art Day! .ART Celebrated By Announcing Fellowship Winners and the Opening of Applications for Their Annual Innovation Award

The domain industry is filled with creative people - singers, musicians, writers, poets and artists of all kinds. We even have our own all-encompassing TLD in .Art , making April 15 - World Art Day - an occasion to celebrate (it's also Tax Day in the U.S. but, unless they are getting a refund, that's one most people aren't as happy about)! April 15, a date selected because it is also Leonardo Da Vinci's birthday, was designated World Art Day by the International Association of Art (an official UNESCO partner) in 2012. It has been growing in popularity ever since with celebrations in major cities around the world.

As you would expect, the .ART domain registry goes all in on World Art Day, as do many registrars who are running sales on .ART domains today (that makes this a good time for artists and creatives to get their .ART identity). The registry itself used the occasion to announce the recipients of the 2024 and 2025 Kasimov Art Therapy Fellowship - an award established to support the next generation of art therapists through financial and community-based support. 

The Annual Fellowship Award is part of .ART’s ongoing “Healing Power of Art Initiative," which celebrates art as a vital form of expression, healing, and connection. The Fellowship is endowed through a $1 million gift from .ART Founder & CEO Ulvi Kasimov and his wife, Ulvi, to The George Washington University’s renowned Art Therapy Program and is also supported by the sales of .ART domains. The Fellowship reduces the financial burden on students pursuing careers at the intersection of art and mental health - fields that demand rigorous study and extensive internships, yet often lead to lower-paying roles in the nonprofit and public sectors.

The 2025 .ART Kasimov Awardees are:

Christian De Jesus – a Puerto Rican student art therapist whose work integrates creative expression and advocacy to promote healing.

Karina Monroy – a California-born mixed media artist and student art therapist whose work honors feminine ancestry and explores collective healing through creativity and cultural connection. 

The 2024 Kasimov Awardees are: 

Bethany Eddleman – an artist, art therapist, and educator from North Carolina-committed to advocacy and inclusive, community-centered care for children, adolescents, families, and diverse populations. 

Chengjiaoyang Xue – an art therapist from China devoted to advancing mental health awareness and art therapy accessibility across cultures.

As part of the celebration, .ART will host a live webinar on April 17, 2025, inviting the public to explore how art is being used as a tool for healing across borders, cultures, and disciplines. 

(Posted April 15, 2025)    

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