Here are some of the hundreds of people who have participated in the Peace Paper Project from around the world. Some we have met traveling and some have received a piece of Peace at one of our shows but all have taken the time to photograph themselves in a situation where they feel at peace. A big thank you to all who have participated through the years.
Peace Paper Project The “Peace Paper Project” is a multifaceted, interactive art experience created to promote good will and world peace. It is currently made up of three separate but related facets, “Pass/Seed the Peace”, “Wall of Peace” and “Keep the Peace”. All of the facets center on the same 10X9 inch trapezoidal handmade recycled paper form that is the foundation of the project. Each piece is embedded with an olive branch and has an airbrushed image of a peace dove on the front. The nature of my paper is such that when viewed from one direction the background colors appear cool with a warm colored dove while the opposite occurs when viewed from the other direction.
Pass/Seed the Peace “Pass/Seed the Peace” was the first part of the project to be implemented. Whenever I witnessed someone doing a random act of kindness either for me or others they would receive a sheet of “Peace Paper”. Later, while traveling whenever I would make a new friend or somebody would make my experience more pleasant I would leave them with a leaf of “Peace Paper”. I have developed many lasting friendships as a result of the project. Wall of Peace “Wall of Peace” consisted of a wall shingled, with “Peace Paper” sections in the corner of the gallery. The initial shape on the wall mirrored the trapezoid makeup of the individual pieces but later broke the confines of the space and flowed organically throughout the show intertwining between and around the other artwork as if it had found it’s freedom.
Keep the Peace “Keep the Peace” consisted of audience being encouraged to take a piece of “Peace Paper” deconstructing the wall as the night goes on which is recorded with a time lapse camera. Through the remainder of the show the wall continues to dissipate, a reminder that building peace is an ongoing thing and that though fragile it can always be reestablished.
Peace comes with responsibility. People who receive a piece of “Peace Paper” are encouraged to send/e-mail a photo of themselves with the “Peace Paper”, in a place that is special to them and makes them feel at peace, back to me at the e-mail address on the back to be included in my archives of people who have received them. In the next phase of the project I am hoping to include these images from around the world in “World Peace”.
Earth Day Project
Soon after learning to make handmade(recycled)paper in the late eighties, one of the first projects I did was to go out with our son and collect trash from along the road by our house and make paper out of it. When I started teaching again it became a yearly project for the Art Club. In many ways the project was the embodiment of my art. It became a yearly celebration of creation while transforming waste into something artistic. Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of all the pieces but below is a sampling of that project.