About six years ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Botswana focused on governance reform and civil society. At the time there was a lot of excitement about the countries progressive environmental stand, the role of women, and youth engagement. I was especially happy to have met young activists from Pioneers of [...]

It was an absolute pleasure to spend two days with a crop of science and technology educators at the Design, Make, Play meeting hosted by MakeMagazine, the New York Hall of Science, and the White House. What an incredible range of teachers, administrators, and researchers working in a range of settings to advance STEM learning [...]

Photo: MakerFaireAfrica2012 Make for a great weekend of learning and creativity. This Thursday the Population Institute and Vermont-based Population Media Center will host the 32nd annual Global Media Awards in New York City. “Each year PI honors journalists, filmmakers, radio and television show hosts, and editorial cartoonists from around the world who write about population [...]

The New York Times will publish on Sunday a great series on education in America. Featured will be a brilliant commissioned piece of taped graphic art by Stephen Doyle, posted here. The photography really draws it together. I found myself really liking the textured wrinkes and scrunches of tape along the floor. Follow the link [...]

About a year ago a friend I’d met at Goucher College during a Peace Tiles workshop I’d run provided me with an opportunity to push forward an idea I’d had for a while: reproduce children’s artwork produced in a Peace Tiles workshop in a way that would be appropriate to a lively public environment and [...]

As a mixed media artist, I’m always on the lookout for intriguing, clever, playful, whimsical ways of using ordinary materials to bring delight to the urban experience. A few recollections came to mind recently – principally as a result of a cool project I learned about during the annual MIT IDEAS Competition retreat I attended [...]

During a brief family holiday along the Erie Canal last week, I had the pleasure of stopping in at the Western New York Book Arts Collaborative. What a thrill! Why? Several reasons:  Its a bright open physical space in the heart of a city ready for a rebound. Artists know what that feeling is like: [...]

This summer the Africa-India Technology Institute (AITI) in Accra, Ghana will host Maker Faire Africa, a two-day showcase of African ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Modeled on the popular Maker Faire format developed in the U.S. by Make Magazine and O’Reilly media, the festival will include exhibitions of functional devices invented locally, artwork derived from found objects [...]

Two founder-centered arts organizations, which each address the impact of violence on youth in different ways, are profiled in this month’s issue of ODE Magazine. One, founded in Los Angeles on principles of forgiveness and victim reconciliation, works with youth already deeply involved in the cycle of gang violence. The other, founded and operating in [...]

Only 2 Weeks Left to Enter! Millennium Promise Competition $10,000 in prize money This is one competition that really matters to the world! Winning designs will be used in the global fight to end extreme poverty. Entries close June 17! Click here for full details design21sdn.com DESIGN 21: Social Design Network Better design for the [...]

Great looking announcement that was passed along today. The sponsors, PBS and the creators of the television show Design Squad, are looking for some sport. Hook up with some yung’uns and pitch in – looks like fun! Click here to download the Trash to Treasure Flyer

Today I’m headed to Ithaca, New York to give a talk, run a workshop and in other ways participate in Earth Day celebrations that take place there each year through the Center for Environmental Sustainability (CES) which will sponsor,”GREENING THE ARTS.”  They’ve asked me to be part of an informal panel on Friday morning exploring [...]

There’s an interesting model of neighborhood-based social networking evolving in Vermont called the Front Porch Forum. I was recently struck by its connection to broad, national concern about the loss of local news coverage. But before I go further, I have to confess some skepticism about the recent sense of malaise around the media. Here’s [...]

During the weekend of April 11-13, more than a dozen Twinfield staff, parents and students helped to sort, record, and mount the more than 450 “Peace Tiles” that would compose a new mural in the school’s cafeteria. The Peace Tiles – individual collages on 8-inch square wood panel – each responded to the question, “What [...]

Had my first workshop with seniors in “twintown” – that’s our name for the combined towns of marshfield and cabot. about 15 people showed up, all of them women. turns out the group is a “homemakers” club that gets together every other week. so they know each other pretty good. this gang had a terrific [...]

Had a just lovely workshop with 32 AmeriCorps/VISTA members (these are young people typically just out of university who are spending a year volunteering in a community. Many in this group are working on environmental education and with at-risk populations, which is to say young people who are disproportionately likely to drop out of school, [...]

Today marks the final day of my work with Twinfield students. All in all it was a lovely experience. The students were so welcoming, and most eager to experiment and “play,” which is a big part of what its all about. I think its fair to say that they are really excited to see what [...]

[From the Times Argus ] High school students, parents and teachers worked side by side in Twinfield’s cafeteria Tuesday, absorbed in combining paints, bits of paper, lettering and treasures they had brought from home to create tiles that express their sense of place. In another part of the building, the elementary students were creating their [...]

Begins tomorrow morning. I’ve worked hard to develop a set of materials that I hope can effectively guide classrooms into thinking about the topic, “What is my place,” while not taxing teachers. Tomorrow morning I spend the day making 45-min presentations to all of the grades. Its a bit like a charrette. In K-4 we [...]

The Global Peace Tiles Project has a new guide for educators aimed at generating reflection and dialogue around the topics of identity and place. The “topic pack,” which is 12 pages, includes six activities and several discussion starters. In addition to a look at the book, “The Big World and the Little House,” users of [...]

Poster I whipped out (I love Pages) for an upcoming mural project – February 11-13 – the largest one yet that I’ve been a part of – that will engage all students and staff in an exploration of the question, “What is my place?” The aim is to encourage students to think about where they [...]

I’ve been putting alot of thought into ways to communicate the possibilities for creating Peace Tiles – outside of the workshop environment. I’ve noticed that one of the challenges – both in communicating the essence of “collage” as well as the possibilities for creativity within that 8-inch square “sandbox” I like to call a Peace [...]

A recent post to an art educators list I subscribe to got me thinking about art and action, and when the risks artists take cease to be acceptable modes of expression. The case in question is a Toronto film and video student who carried out the following action: A 24-year-old student, Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson, at [...]

How gorgeous of everyone to come on up (and over) to the Green Mountain State for the first ever Peace Tiles “happening!” We hailed from Morocco, Canada, the Land of L.A., Oregon, Germany, the midwest and Longisland…! Just the best mixing up of people ever. The workshop opened Thursday evening with some great local food [...]

I’ve just finished a second round of changes to Peace Tiles’ World AIDS Day 2007 discussion guide, which is ready for download and review. I really, really appreciated the feedback of diligent readers of the first draft – I think it has helped to improve the overall structure as well as some important and specific [...]

Since 2005 the Global Peace Tiles Project has helped community educators use the visual arts as a way to elicit stories about HIV/AIDS from young people. These tiles are used in a variety of ways – primarily as part of large mural installations in public spaces. Recently, a number of these tiles have been integrated [...]

I missed the June conference in Massachussetts; it looks like the Arts for Social Healing Conference was both a success and a special time for participants, with gobs of creativity. The event was organized June 10 by the Zing Foundation – which seeks to promote connections and collaboration in the social arts domain – and [...]

One of the areas Peace Tiles will be developing curriculum and initiatives around in 2007 is Children and Waste.  I am beginning to pull together some resources, facts and figures.  I’d love your support and involvement!  Please help me understand this issue better from various perspectives and fields. Sometime in 2007, according to U.N. estimates, [...]

Secondary schools around the world have until 1 November 2007 to register for the third Mondialogo School Contest (2007-2008). Over 2,500 teams from all five continents are expected to participate. As part of the launch, schools in 40 countries will organize a “Mondialogo Day” to present their projects and plans for the 2007-2008 contest. Participating [...]