2015
News and Events
- OAS Peace Fund Promotes Arts Among Belizean and Guatemalan Children — The Organization of American States (OAS) Peace Fund helps to build the relationships between the children from Belize and Guatemala by engaging them in the arts.
- Use of Arabic cultural arts bring greater peace and understanding (WorldPortfolio) — In an area of the world that has been deeply affected by conflict, the Sudanese actor and theatre director Ali Mahdi has not only managed to bring happiness, but also hope and inspiration through the mediums of drama, dance and music.
- Kidnap Road - A New Play by Catherine Filloux — The play focuses on Ingrid Betancourt, a presidential candidate in the country of Colombia in 2002, who while conducting her campaign was kidnapped by the terrorist organization the FARC. Details of Ingrid Betancourt’s story can be found in the public record.
- Short Film: Two Faiths One Prayer — Muslims and Jews Pray Together in LA (NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change) — Cindy Kaplan '08 joined a group of Jews and Muslims gathered together for a day of prayer in a series of public spaces across Los Angeles. They prayed side-by-side at each Muslim/Jewish prayer time in an effort to spread a message that peace is possible.
- A Solution to Street Violence Can Be Found in Martial Arts, Yoga and Meditation (Huffington Post Blog) — "Every few weeks, it seems, there's a new example of street violence that jumps to front and center of the national media and sparks another round of controversy and debate. But I've seen way too many of these tragedies, and I believe that the world we live in would become significantly less violent if more people — both civilians and cops — incorporated martial arts, yoga and meditation into their lives... "
Arts
- Plays by Sean Christopher Lewis: "Killadelphia," "Dogs of Rwanda" and "Rust" — Sean Christopher Lewis is a theater artist engaged with issues of social justice.
- His play "Killadelphia" is based on interviews with men at Graterford Prison who paint some of the 3000 murals in the city of Philadelphia.
- Lewis' play "Dogs of Rwanda," based off extensive field work in Rwanda, looks at the story of a young missionary from Ohio who found himself lost in the Rwandan countryside during the 100-Day Massacre in April of 1994.
- Co-written with Austin Bunn, Lewis' play "Rust" portrays the impact of the 2008 closing of a 75 year-old stamping plant Wyoming, Michigan, which drove over 1,500 people to be out of work, displaced or forcibly retired.
- "Dara: A South Asian History Play about Islam" — Pakistani playwright Shahid Nadeer explained his play is offering insight into the history of Islam and contemporary conflict, violence and extremism in Pakistan and beyond.
Opportunities and Resources
LGBTQ Friendly Campuses and Student Resources (Affordable Colleges Online) — The most frequent intended major reported by LGBTQ students planning to pursue postsecondary education is Visual and Performing Arts, according to a survey by the 2013 National School Climate Survey.
Drama Club — It is Drama Club's mission to provide theater training and positive mentor relationships to NYC youth throughout each step of their journey through the criminal justice system: detention, placement and probation/aftercare.
Art With Impact — Art With Impact (AWI) promotes mental wellness by creating space for young people to learn and connect through art and media.
Sundance Institute Theatre Program — The Sundance Institute Theatre Program advances the work of risk-takin theatre-makers by providing rare developmental opportunities that support artists throughout their careers.
Book — "Forced to Flee: Visual Stories by Refugee Youth from Burma" By Erika Berg — "Forced to Flee: Visual Stories by Refugee Youth from Burma" offers a child's eye-view of the longest-running civil war in the world.
Novel: "Dancing with Diana" By Jo Salas — The novel centers around Alex, a boy in a wheelchair who meets the future Princess Diana when they are both 15 years old.
"Public:" e-Journal from Imagining America — Public is a peer-reviewed, multimedia e-journal focused on humanities, arts, and design in public life.
Themes
The Most Important Images of the Year — Artists Respond to Racial Violence in the U.S.
News
- The Incredible Ways Art Is Helping Charleston Unite After Church Massacre (The Huffington Post) — "A few artists painted murals on the walls of a warehouse around a vacant lot in Charleston, South Carolina, preparing for a celebration intended to fill the neglected space with sunlight, art and joy."
- “Why a charcoal of police in Ferguson is the most important artwork of 2014” (The Guardian) — "Since the first protests and police reaction that Longo set out to draw, this has become an ever more significant moment in the old and unending story of racial injustice in America."
Arts
- Dialogues on Race: Billboard and Mural Project — The Dialogues on Race project was designed the founder of Make Art with Purpose (MAP) director Janeil Engelstad to foster discussions about racial justice and equity and to leave a lasting legacy in the Dallas community with two permanent murals.
- Ferguson Moments: Artists Respond — Following the events in Ferguson, artists from all over the United States quickly began connecting by phone, email, and social media over the ensuing militarized police action, protests, violence, and reconciliation taking place.
- How the local arts community engages in conversations about race (Minnesota Public Radio) — "On The Daily Circuit Tuesday, we talked about how the local [Minnesota] arts community has engaged with the dialogue around race in recent months."
Resources
- IIE Launches Program to Assist Threatened Artists- Artist Protection Fund (APF) — The Institute of International Education (IIE) announced the launch of a program to save the lives and work of artists who face persecution in their home countries.
- 2015 Imaginings (Hosted by the US Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC)) — Imaginings are vibrant, arts-infused gatherings in which a community envisions its ideal future and identities creative tactics to get there.
Artistic Responses to Other Current Global Crises
News
- Sand artist appeals for peace in Gaza through sand art — World famous sand artist, Sudarsan Pattnaik, created a sand sculpture at Puri beach in Odisha, urging Israel and Gaza to end the conflict and appealing for peace.
- Diminishing Returns: The Iraq War and Artistic Response, Five Years Onmore, by Ara H. Merjian — During the Vietnam War, artists stopped making work as a form of protest against its atrocities. Why is a similar response to Iraq unthinkable, and what is the artistic community doing instead?
Arts
- Tripoli Graffiti: Revolution Street Art in Libya — It's difficult to imagine the extent of trauma that the Libyan people have gone through over the past forty years and during the Feb17 uprising, but the street art around Tripoli is just scratching the surface.
- For the sake of peace: Young artist spray paints her views on the Saudi-Yemen conflict — "We are facing adversities from all sides these days," said Abdoz cofounder Umer Asim. "The aim of this artwork is to reawaken the spirit of patriotism and hope — the hope that someday everything will be fine. Our messages are anti-war. We uphold the values of peace and love."
Resources
- In Place of War — Mobilising, empowering and connecting artists and creative communities in sites of war, revolution and conflict.
- Hybrid Theatre Works — Hybrid Theatre Works (HTW) is an international collective of artists focused on breaking artistic and cultural boundaries through the creation of work that is a hybrid of disciplines, cultures, and fields of study.
- ArtRole —ArtRole is an International contemporary arts organisation dedicated to building a cultural bridge between the Middle East and rest of the world facilitating artistic dialogue, exchange and mutual support.
- Video: "What does leadership mean to you?" via Portraits of Purpose — During 'DEIS Impact 2014, the event series "Seeking Lives of Purpose" featured an exhibition called Portraits of Purpose, a photography exhibit featuring social justice leaders in Boston and the world. This video compilation reflects on various perspectives emerging from the exhibit on what it means to be a leader.
- CLIMB Theatre — CLIMB is a touring, educational theatre that brings our own original plays and classes directly to schools (and other agencies) across the Upper Midwest.
- Rehearsing Change: A semester study abroad opportunity in Ecuador — Rehearsing Change is a semester-long, community-based study abroad program in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Artists and Ebola — Preventing, Honoring, Grieving, Healing
Arts
- Portaits: Braving Ebola (New York Times) — Featured by the New York Times, photographs and interviews by Daniel Berehulak provide powerful, personal insights and portraits of those who labor and those who survived at an Ebola treatment center in rural Liberia.
Resources
- How To Turn a Gaza War Into Art — As donors pledge billions to rebuild Gaza in the wake of Hamas's war with Israel, one Gazan is engaged in another type of construction: turning remnants of the war into works of art.
Artistic Responses to the Syrian Crisis
- Comfort for Kids — a Project for Syria — Lina Safar had the honor to collaborate with Mercy Corps and UNICEF to develop the illustrations and design for a series of support products in both Arabic and English to help Syrian refugees recover from psychological trauma.
- Video: Banksy marks third anniversary of Syria conflict (BBC) — Reclusive British street artist Banksy has reworked one of his most celebrated pieces, "Girl with the Red Balloon," to mark the third anniversary of the ongoing conflict in Syria.
- Book: Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline — Syria Speaks is a celebration of a people determined to reclaim their dignity, freedom and self-expression. It showcases the work of over fifty artists and writers who are challenging the culture of violence in Syria.
- Denied visas, Syrian refugees still get a platform (Washington Post) — “Syria: The Trojan Women,” a play explaining the ramifications of the conflict for both Syrians and Americans, was to make its premiere of outside the Middle East. However, those plans were scuttled after a U.S. consular officer in Amman, unconvinced the entertainers would not seek asylum in this country, denied the women their application for visas.
- Music to heal children's souls — Syrian composer and clarinettist Kinan Azmeh played his music for Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan.
- Video: Syrian youth revive street performance — Young Syrians have become familiar with the organization Meet Us On The Road, whose members appear unexpectedly on the street with their instruments to recite their "musical" prayers, only to disappear suddenly.