Peace Art
by Lisa Marder
Creating art is a way to reimagine the future, to build bridges and foster understanding, to develop empathy, to make friends, to express feelings, to build self-confidence, to learn how to be flexible and open-minded, to be exposed to different ideas and learn to listen to the views of others, to work collaboratively. These are all attributes that can help to promote peace.
In a world in which many live amidst violence, these organizations and others like them are creating opportunities for children and adults to engage in the arts and to discover things about themselves and others that will help them better deal with differences and handle conflicts peacefully.
Many organizations are geared towards children and teens, as they are the world's next leaders, doers, and activists, and the best hope for a new and better future. Some of the organizations are international, some are more local, but all are necessary, and doing important work.
Create Peace Project
Create Peace Project is based in San Francisco, California. It was formed in 2008 in response to the suffering caused by the overwhelming amount of violence in the world and the decreasing exposure to the creative arts in people's lives. The Create Peace Project is for all ages but is especially geared toward ages 8-18, with the goal of strengthening community and human connection and cultivating peace by
"educating, empowering and activating joyous feelings of self-worth using the universal language of creativity."
Projects include The Peace Exhange, in which students from around the world send one another peace cards (a 6 x 8 inch postcard) to foster connection and spread peace; Banners for Peace, a project for 4th to 12th graders to design and paint 10 x 20 foot banners with inspirational peace slogans; Community Murals, for people of all ages to come together and transform "dead" wall space in a community into a work of art; The Singing Tree, a school-wide collaborative community project to create a mural that responds to a specific challenge.
In 2016 Create Peace Project is launching the Billboards for Peace project in the San Francisco Bay Area and is expanding their Teacher Training Program.
