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Welcome to the Where Peace Lives mural program details and information online invitation

Where Peace Lives presents Global Mural Exchange Program for Peace Conflict Resolution and Peace Art Activity Manual

SAMPLE ACTIVITY GUIDE FOR PROSPECTIVE SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Thanks for being our partners in peacemaking...one mural at a time!

The information on this page is similar to the official Activity manual which will be shipped to you once you have been approved to conduct our program at your school or organization.

Copyright © 2008 Where Peace Lives, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written consent of Where Peace Lives, Inc. For information on getting consent contact Jeff Clapp at Where Peace Lives, Inc. Excerpts in this manual are cited and protected under copyright © Beth Teolis's book, Ready-To-Use Conflict-Resolution Activities for Elementary Students are for classroom use only. Book is published under John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1998.

Peace Mural from Idiana, Peru, 2007—"In Love, Peace, and Harmony"

Thank you for considering participating in the International Mural Exchange Program for Peace. Our intention is to create a powerful, cross-cultural and cross-generational experience in partnership with your organization that maximizes the outcomes of this global community project.

The intended outcomes are:

• Each young person knows him or herself as someone who is making a difference,
• Each young person develops creative self-expression and individual talents,
• Each young person experiences pride and ownership in his or her accomplishment,
• Each young person sees the value in being a learner for life and is able to relate to the concept of "anything is possible,"
• Each young person becomes more globally-minded and creates their own stake in the big picture,
• Each young person develops higher-order thinking skills enabling them to think critically, solve problems, and make informed decisions,
• Each young person learns to show respect towards themselves and others regardless of differences,
• Each young person learns to bridge cultural and social gaps within the global community,
• Each young person develops strong leadership and communication skills, and
• Each young person values and learns to create harmony amongst all people.

Our Mission
Teach effective conflict-resolution and peacebuilding skills to build bridges of cultural understanding and mutual respect through art and media forwarding the conversations for peace in the world.

Our Vision
Create a culture of peace where our future leadership experiences the joy and fulfillment of making powerful contributions to themselves, their community, and the world.

Our Core Values
Integrity — We are truthful in all that we say, and honest in all that we do.

Inspiration—We bring to light people's courage and greatness, naturally calling them into action.

Respect—We honor the highest Self in each person.

Communication—We are committed that all people have a voice and experience being heard.

Peace Mural from El Saffa Society for Special Needs Children, Suez, Egypt, 2007
"Hands Across the Ocean"

In today's global community, cultural misunderstandings and misconceptions limit what's possible for world peace for all humanity. When young adults can communicate through the creative process and learn from mentors and peers in their community it provides both personal enrichment and global understanding. The project's major goal is to create an unprecedented visual communication about their vision for peace that gets exchanged with other murals from around the world and travels in a moving exhibition country-to-country, continent-to-continent. Through this global mural exchange we will empower these leaders of tomorrow to be the voice of peace now, and to bring about real change now in consciousness, policy, and actions.

Where Art Lives — Creating Peace Through Art will incorporate three of the Core Curriculum Content Standards from the Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum into the lesson plans and overall context for the murals conducted in the United States:

Experience with and knowledge of the arts is a vital part of a complete education. The arts are rich disciplines that include a vibrant history, an exemplary body of work to study, and compelling cultural traditions. An education in the arts is an essential part of the academic curriculum for the achievement of human, social, and economic growth. The arts offer tools for development. They enable personal, intellectual, and social development for each individual.

For our society, an education in the arts fosters a population that:

• Is equipped with essential technical skills and abilities significant to many aspects of life and work;

• Understands and can impact the increasingly complex technological environment around us;

• Has a humanities focus that allows social, cultural, and intellectual interplay, among men and women of different ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds; and

• Is critically empowered to create, reshape, and fully participate in the enhancement of the quality of life for all.

STANDARD 1.1 (AESTHETICS) ALL STUDENTS WILL USE AESTHETIC KNOWLEDGE IN THE CREATION OF AND IN RESPONSE TO DANCE, MUSIC, THEATER, AND VISUAL ART.

Descriptive Statement: The arts strengthen our appreciation of the world, as well as our ability to be creative and inventive decision-makers. The acquisition of knowledge and skills that contribute to aesthetic awareness of dance, music, theater, and visual art enhances these abilities. Through experience in the arts, students develop the capacity to perceive and respond imaginatively to works of art. These experiences result in knowledge of forms of artistic expression and in the ability to draw personal meaning from works of art. Key skills necessary to an understanding of aesthetics include the abilities to identify arts elements within a work to articulate informed emotional responses to works of art, to engage in cultural reflection, and to communicate through the use of metaphor and critical evaluation. Aesthetics involves the following key understandings: appreciation and interpretation; stimulating imagination; the value and significance of the arts; art as object; the creation of art; developing a process of valuing; and acquaintance with aesthetic philosophies.

Students will be guided through the mural creation process and learn the value of this art form as a strong visual communication device. Learn about the history and evolution of the mural over time, what are the foundations of this art form. What is the message that is being communicated through the mural they create, they receive.

STANDARD 1.4 (CRITIQUE) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP, APPLY AND REFLECT UPON KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS OF CRITIQUE.

Descriptive Statement: Through the informed criticism of works of art, students will develop a process by which they will observe, describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate artistic expression and quality in both their own artistic creation and in the work of others. Through this critical process, students will arrive at informed judgments of the relative artistic and aesthetic merits of the work examined.

Students will have the opportunity to critique and study the murals that are exchanged with them. Be able to compare different cultural influences, western and non-western and be exposed to a variety of cultural and social communications. How to use strong and positive critiquing methods to influence change and expand knowledge.

STANDARD 1.5 (HISTORY/CULTURE) ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND ANALYZE THE ROLE, DEVELOPMENT, AND CONTINUING INFLUENCE OF THE ARTS IN RELATION TO WORLD CULTURES, HISTORY, AND SOCIETY.

Descriptive Statement: In order to become culturally literate, students need to understand the historical, societal, and multicultural aspects and implications of dance, music, theater, and visual art. This includes understanding how the arts and cultures continue to influence each other.

Students will have the opportunity to have their mural be an expression and honoring of their personal cultural heritage and an opportunity to utilize their cultural resources and local art forms to express their message for peace. An opportunity to evaluate and share about the potential impact of their mural on history. Study and analyze other past mural projects and the influence and impact they have had on events in history