Art For Peace: Why Children Can Save the World

Laura Keeney September 29, 2013

Art for Peace: Why Children Can Save the World

Research Brief “How can children's art be a bridge of peace in the face of such a horrific act of war?”

(Anderson, 2009, p.231).

Forward This research brief comes with an accompanying Pinterest Collection showing examples of works inspired by the concept of Peace, a global concern. The collection features 25 works, from 5 different states and 14 different countries, all exploring the idea of Peace on a personal, local, and global scale. http://www.pinterest.com/keeneyle/if-children-ruled-the-world/

Peace is a global concern shared my many humans across the globe (Anderson, 2009).

Peace, tolerance, and respect are subjects we as Art Educators attempt to tackle almost daily.

There are numerous groups, advocates, and organizations with which Art Educators can become involved, all surrounding the idea of Peace. Throughout this research brief, along with examples and resources, I will attempt to explain how addressing this concept in the classroom is a way to shape the culture of the future, and how children have the power to change the world.

With an increasingly globalized society, ideas of cultural awareness, local and global culture, as well as social consciousness are ever-present. Numerous studies and theories show that art is a social and cultural medium, and both have an immense impact on the development of children (Burton, 2001; Steiner & Mahn, n.d; Vygotsky, 1929; Wilson, 2005). Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory on development suggests that, “human activities take place in cultural contexts” (Steiner & Mahn, n.d). Furthermore, Burton, (2001) explains development as a complex, multi-layered, and culturally influenced and Tom Anderson (2009), cofounder of the Guernica Peace Mural Project, states, “children are biologically programmed to integrate culture”

(p.232). By revolving art units around global ideas such as Peace, we are engaging local, and global culture “to foster global awareness of the possibilities of peace in this world” (Anderson, 2009, p. 235).

Throughout my Pinterest collection, there are numerous examples of students’ local cultural influence within a global context. For example, a student from Vietnam explains visually what happens to their neighborhood in the face of war; her school shuts down. Furthermore, two students, one from India and the other from Hong Kong, show their local social and cultural influence through the use of religion within their artworks. Although culturally different, they all share a similar global theme of Peace (Keeney, 2013).

The intangible idea of Peace can be interpreted within the context of your individual students, your classroom, within the community, your country, or in a global sense. Burton (2001) suggests that when properly nurtured, “young people enter into a relationship with the culture, for through art they shape their own images and identities” (p. 35). Community ideas of peace and tolerance are shown in the Liberty Street Artist series from Gainsville, Texas.

Another project from Louisiana, integrates nature to strengthen the relationship between students and their natural surroundings. Personal conflict is also addressed in Conflict and Resolution, a Spiral Art Unit (Keeney, 2013). Through ideas of Peace, from personal to global, students can reflect on these ideas and integrate them as they relate to themselves personally, within a community, as well as globally.

Art units that revolve around the ideas of peace, tolerance, and respect, not only include local and global cultural influences, but also introduce students to the global conversation. J. Marshall (2009) states in Globalization and Contemporary Art that contemporary artists are the “creators of culture,”(p. 96) and mention how important it is for students to see how they can

influence culture and be vehicles of change within the global conversation. Furthermore, he states, “global art helps us to understand the hybridity and complexity of to day's world” (p. 89).

By entering students in the global conversation, we are introducing students to the idea that they have the ability to become agents of change for the global community.

Some students in the Pinterest collection are already engaged within the global dialogue.

A student from Nebraska titles her work, Peace begins with Me, shows a self reflective process within the global community. An artwork from Afghanistan titled, Education, not War! clearly exhibits a conversation with the global community as the drawing depicts a child whose world consists of the fruits of education instead of war. Finally, a seven year old from Columbia calls for humans to Open Your Mind, and imagine all of the possibilities without the act of war (Keeney, 2013).

Peace, as a global concept, is being explored and challenged all over the world. Projects including Pinwheels for Peace, the Guernica Peace Mural Project, the UN International Art For Peace Contest, and Peace One Day all recognize the global need for peaceful intervention in world today. Furthermore, students and classrooms around the globe are participating in the global conversation, and pushing for a peaceful future. Group Projects on Pinterest include Spiral of Love, from Louisiana, and Man is Only One, from Havana, Cuba (Keeney, 2013).

Today’s world is overrun by war, racism, and violence, but by engaging students in these global concepts, I believe we are creating students that can change the world.

Resources The following is a resource packet that highlights the Global Peace Projects for educators.

International Art For Peace Contest From the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Harmony for Peace Foundation This website hosts a yearly contest for

Kids’ Guernica Kids’ Guernica is a global peace project using Picasso’s Guernica as inspiration. Students focus on the ideas of connecting with others, removing the separation between

students ages 5-17 around the world for the

countries and races, and create a Guernica size artwork, using

promotion of peace and a world without

the famous artwork as a symbol for anti-war and violence.

nuclear weapons. This year, more than

More than 140 murals in over 40 countries have been

6,600 participants from over 100 countries

completed (KidsGuernica, 2013).

This project is a collaborative one, where classes work

participated in the contest (United Nations, 2013). Numerous pieces in my Pinterest

together for the common goal and concept of Peace. This is a

collection are located on this site.

beautiful example of how social interaction, collaboration, and local culture permeate the global community for a global cause.

Peace One Day Peace One Day began in 1999 when Jeremy Gilly began to advocate for an international global cease-fire on September 21st of every year. In 2001, the United Nations recognized and adopted the first day of global ceasefire. The goal of Peace One Day is to make September 21st a day of unity, non-violence, and a day of peaceful humanity that the world has never seen before (PeaceOneDay, 2013).

Pinwheels for Peace Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project inspired by Peace One Day, as a way for schools to become involved and for students to express their feelings about war, violence, and peace. For the project, students create pinwheels using the theme of peace as inspiration. Once complete, students “plant” their pinwheels outside as a public statement to the community promoting peace and tolerance. Since its opening year in 2005, the project has grown to over four million pinwheels in 2013 (Ayers & McMillan, 2013).

References Anderson, T. (2009). The Kids' Guernica Peace Mural Project: A paradigm for global art education. In E. M. Delacruz, A. Arnold, M. Parsons, and A. Kuo, (Eds.), Globalization, art, and education (pp. 231-240). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Ayers, A. and McMillan, E. (2013). Pinwheels for Peace. Retrieved September 29, 2013 from http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com/pinwheelsforpeace/home.html Burton, J. M. (2001). Lowenfeld, another look. Art Education, 54(6), 33-42.

John-Steiner, V., & Mahn, H. (n.d.). Sociocultural approaches to learning and development: A Vygotskyan framework. Retrieved from http://webpages.charter.net/schmolze1/vygotsky/ Keeney, L. (2013). If children ruled the world… Retrieved September 29, 2013 from http://www.pinterest.com/keeneyle/if-children-ruled-the-world/ Kids’ Guernica. (2013). Kids’ Guernica. Retrieved September 29, 2013 from http://kidsguernica.blogspot.com/2009/08/committee.html Marshall, J. (2009). Globalization and contemporary art. In E. M. Delacruz, A. Arnold, M. Parsons, and A. Kuo, (Eds.), Globalization, art, and education (pp. 88-96). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Peace One Day. (2013). What is peace one day? Retrieved September 29, 2013 from http://peaceoneday.org United Nations. (2013). Art for peace 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2013 from http://www.unartforpeace.org Vygotski, L. S. (1929). The problem of the cultural development of the child II. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 36, 415-32. Retrieved from http://webpages.charter.net/schmolze1/vygotsky/ Wilson, B. (2005). Child art after Modernism: Visual culture and new narratives. In E. W. Eisner & M. D. Day (Eds.), Handbook of research and policy in art education (pp 299328). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Wolf, D. (1988). Artistic learning: What and where is it? Journal of Aesthetic Education, 22(1), 143-155.