Peace Through Art
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones" - Albert Einstein
In response to the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the ICAF developed a unique and effective methodology for creative interventions with children victimized by manmade conflicts. These interventions tap into children's innate creative resources so they can imagine their enemy as human beings not so different from themselves and hence begin to visualize peaceful co-existence. The overarching goal is to reduce the transmission of trauma and hatred from the current generation to the future one. The program develops empathy through art and imparts leadership skills so children can co-create a peaceful future for their communities.
In December 2010 the ICAF will organize a Cyprus Peace through Art Program: Beyond Borders with Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot Children. At the crossroads of civilizations, ancient and modern, Cyprus stands divided since 1974 and is today a key barometer for reconciliation between Christianity and Islam. The program will be a follow-up to the Cyprus Peace through Art Program organized by the ICAF for ten Greek-Cypriot and ten Turkish-Cypriot youth who came to Washington DC for three weeks of intensive peace training in June 2002. When these 14-16 year old participants were asked: "What separates you?" Their answer was "Church and Mosque."
The ICAF articles and presentations on peace building:
- The Gift of Peace (617 Kb 16-page pdf download)
NAEYC Annual Conference, Washington, DC, November 19, 2009 - Prosperity and Peace through Art (16-page pdf online)
UNESCO Observatory on Multi-Disciplinary Research on Arts Education, e-Journal, Vol 1, Issue 1, The University of Melbourne, Australia, September 2007 - Development of Children's Creativity to Foster Peace (201 Kb 3-page pdf download)
The Lancet, Vol. 368, December 2006 - Creating a Global Culture of Peace: The ICAF Approach (58 Kb 6-page doc download)
A paper prepared for Culture and International History Conference at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe- Universität, Frankfurt am Main, December 19-21, 2005 - Creating Peace through Art and Sport (coming soon!)
Museums for Peace: A Contribution to Remembrance, Reconciliation, Art and Peace, 5th International Museums for Peace Conference Papers, Fundacion Museo de la Paz de Gernika, Spain, May 2005 - Peace through Art and Sport (1.9 Mb 3-page pdf download)
SchoolArts, Vol 104, Number 3, November 2004 - Children, Art and the Future of the Mediterranean (55 Kb 6-page doc download)
Proceedings of "Children and the Mediterranean: Health, Culture and Urban Settings." January 7-9, 2004 in Genoa, Italy