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Laurie Marshall and Rae Luskin < Back Interview with Laurie Marshall Laurie Marshall artist, art educator. For 30 years, my goal has been to empower young people to have a positive impact on the challenges they face. The Flood of Kindness: Inspired by Hurricane Katrina Paperback – Large Print, July 7, 2017 by De'Ante Webster (Author), Laurie Marshall (Illustrator In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a child's memory of his best friend who died in the flood, magically helps kindness return to New Orleans where anger, division and mistrust had taken over. Written by a child for children, the story helps young people cope with loss and chaos related to large weather events. Interview with Rae Luskin, https://www.raeluskin.com/ founder of Creative Activists https://www.facebook.com/groups/952272428130971 Previous Next

c2ce1785-d0d1-41c1-bb48-a24697f8755c Singing Tree Murals of 2011 21 Redwood Singing Tree of Biodiversity More 20 The Tree of Life that Sings More 19 The Maple Singing Tree of Families More 18 Sycamore Singing Tree of Success More Previous Next

Payment Plan Application First name Email Last name Phone Address What are three goals you have in participating in this program? Suggest an amount and/or a payment plan. We will be in touch. How did you hear about the Singing Tree Project? Register Now Thank You!

< Back Leslie Rein Certified Singing Tree Facilitator Making collaborative murals as a Singing Tree Project facilitator aligns perfectly with Leslie's passion for art and creativity. This artistic and peace-building process serves her desire to bring people together and heal common heartbreaks. After graduating from U.C.Berkeley, Leslie began her working career as a mental health counselor. While raising her daughter, she led a large, multi-level department in a Bay Area government agency where she sought to develop the highest and best contributions of people throughout the organization. Leslie’s passion for modern dance and exposure to other cultures during her travels abroad have given her life balance and perspective. Since 2017, Leslie has focused on visual art, a process which she describes as a creative soul awakening. Making collaborative murals as a Singing Tree Project facilitator aligns perfectly with her passion for art and creativity. This artistic and peace-building process serves her desire to bring people together and heal common heartbreaks, rebuild trust, strengthen respect, practice acceptance, and love one another. In 2021 Leslie joined the board of Drawing on Earth, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting youth to creativity, the environment, and to each other through the creation of large, collaboratively made chalk art drawings. Leslie has facilitated several chalk projects on school playgrounds and in other public spaces. Leslie has facilitated: The Singing Tree of Reproductive Freedom that Restores Mother Earth More The Madrone and Redwood Singing Tree of Peace and Justice More The Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness More The Shanel Valley Academy Singing Tree of Community and Culture More The Redwood Singing Trees of Holding Community Through Unity More The Olive Singing Tree of Health More

Interview with Laurie Marshall and Haley Campbell 2017 < Back Learning from nature Interview with Laurie Marshall and Haley Campbell In this episode, Haley interviews author, public speaker, and education transformer, Laurie Marshall. Laurie discusses her passion for empowering youth through creative collaboration and introduces her new book, Beating the Odds Now, which she describes as “a love letter for teachers” to help them feel inspiration and joy in their work. Laurie also shares the importance of looking to nature as a tool for learning and a way for each individual to discover their inner genius. The cover image for this episode is titled “Fig Singing Tree of the Child”. Previous Next

3fe6d6ba-60f8-4b14-a862-78ca21e4b14d Back to Gallery Mural # 38 Baka Singing Tree of Healing 1/1 "The Baka/Tavenui Singing Tree of Healing" Prepared by students in Morgantown, West Virginia and made with 150 people on Fiji . Teaching Artist Deborah Delap Palmer initiated and oversaw the project. Date: August 10, 2015 Facilitator: Deborah DeLap Palmer Partners: NA Location: Taveuni, Fiji Previous Next

1ed932c3-0030-42ad-a5e2-3c18b724a86f Back to Gallery Mural # 64 Jane Goodall Singing Tree™ of Love 1/1 Jane Goodall Singing Tree of Love was made with Create Peace Project and 300 students and adults. The Jane Goodall Singing Tree of Love Mural is displayed at the San Francisco Zoo . Date: October 11, 2017 Facilitator: Laurie Marshall and Ross Holzman Partners: Create Peace Project San Francisco Zoo Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Previous Next

672aae55-f2a2-4f54-92af-633f5e549bf8 Singing Tree Murals of 2024 143 The Cottonwood Singing Tree of Tapping the Aquifer of Goodwill Amidst the Storm More 140 Olive Singing Tree Mural of Becoming More 139 The Vitex Singing Tree of Healing Relationship with Self, Earth, Others and the Divine More 138 The Singing Tree of Ms. Rivera More 137 The Azbil Singing Tree of Innovative Technology Based in Love More 136 The Singing Tree of a Just and Democratic Economy More 135 The Northwest Roanoke Oak Singing Tree of Resiliency More 134 The Mesquite Party for the Planet Singing Tree More 133 The Willow Singing Tree of Trust More 132 The Singing Tree of Reproductive Freedom that Restores Mother Earth More 110 The Kyangwali Singing Tree of Healing the Trauma of War Uganda More Previous Next

< Back Aidil Oscariz Secretary/Treasurer Aidil Oscariz is the founder and president of Advance Justice Consulting, which develops strategies and programming to support social justice organizations. Her services include policy and legal assistance and strategizing as well as community engagement and coalition-building. Aidil Oscariz is the founder and president of Advance Justice Consulting, which develops strategies and programming to support social justice organizations. Her services include policy and legal assistance and strategizing as well as community engagement and coalition-building. She previously served as Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Catalyst Miami . She provides support to various other organizations to further social justice in Miami, as well as across the state. Towards this goal, she also serves on several boards including the Miami Workers Center , the Anthropocene Alliance , Miami-Dade County’s Commission on Human Rights, and is the President of the South Florida Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild . Previously, Aidil was an attorney and pro bono coordinator for Americans for Immigrant Justice , where she represented and advocated on behalf of immigrants, including unaccompanied children, and oversaw the pro bono program. She has also worked for various other nonprofits and served as a consultant to various community organizations and groups to empower and improve the lives of vulnerable and underserved populations. In 2009, her research was published in Churches and Charity in the Immigrant City: Religion, Immigration, and Civic Engagement in Miami. Aidil holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Sociology from Florida International University and a JD from Fordham University. She is a writer and is very passionate about protecting our planet and making the world a more just, mindful, joyful, and equitable home for us all.

285a4c75-52ac-4cec-9f81-db1de503a36c < Back The Web of Life 1/1 All knowledge, life forms and creativity are connected. The web of life was an inter-disciplinary arts and curriculum project carried out by artists Laurie Marshall and Sharon Wyrrick in Rappahannock County Public School Systems in collaboration with teachers, staff and students. The residency was funded by The Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Rappa-hannock County School System and members of the community. The WEB OF LIFE mural was researched and painted under the guidance of Ms.Marshall by two hundred 5th, 6th, and 7th grade science students. Inspired by Dr. David Snyder at Fauquier Hospital, VA, who said, "When people don't feel like they are a part of the Web of Life, they are more likely to destroy it," the painting involved young people in learning about the Web of Life through a creative, collaborative and hands-on process. The mural includes the galaxy, where the earth's Web is; an invisible web of the microscopic, the prehistoric, the extinct, the imaginative and the spiritual; a visible web of life forms that are tied to each other; and a border of the students' ancestors, without whom they wouldn't be here. I The 8' x 16' painting, which is on sheets of plywood has travelled to private schools, public schools, a prison, and a hospital. At Rappahannock County High School, the WEB OF LIFE residency took the form of artistic projects and workshops in thirteen different subject areas involving two hundred and fifty students under the guidance of Ms. Wyrrick. The students experienced the Web of Life in the importance of their individual role to the whole. Much of the artwork was made from cast off materials-a way of recycling something beautiful and alive from what often is considered used up and useless. The teenagers took inform-ation from the text book page and brought it to life in plays, writing, dancing, sculptures and mask making. As in the Web of Life, knowledge and information found expression in a rich diversity of forms. Poems from the Project: "Universe is to Earth As a baby is to birth. Strands of DNA - Life's dramatic play Ancient reptiles of the past How long can it last?" Amy Hathaway, Ryan Armistead, Shannon Eastham, Jo Tole, RCES "We spend hours searching for God, Looking everywhere but here. He enters us and exits us as our chest rises and falls. We shine...." Yahya Griffin, Camp#7, Fauquier County Prison "I learned about the invisible people (our ancestors) because we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them." Heather Dunn, RCES "Thank you for sharing this magnificent piece of work. It shows the enormous projects kids can do. Keep up the good work, kids, and as long as you shoot for the stars, you won't be condemned for trying. If you think that you have any talent, please go after it." Eddie NcGwain, Camp#7, Fauquier County Prison Rappahannock County, VA, USA Previous Next

< Back Carrie Ziegler Certified Singing Tree Facilitator Carrie Ziegler harnesses the collective power of art to drive social and environmental transformation. Carrie Ziegler harnesses the collective power of art to drive social and environmental transformation. Through her "Art in Action" initiatives, she collaborates with diverse entities—local governments, organizations, schools, and universities—to create multi-dimensional works that blend participant creativity with pressing societal issues. These projects inspire active engagement, bringing communities together to create lasting change. For example: The Chrysalis Project : Now a global initiative, The Chrysalis Project initially contributed to the passing of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan and a resolution declaring a Climate Emergency. Plastic Whale Project : Played a pivotal role in the successful passing of a ban on single-use plastic bags in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County, Washington. Based in Olympia, Washington, Carrie is recognized internationally, bringing her impactful vision to global forums in New Zealand, Ghana, France, Mexico and Canada. She empowers Artists and Change Makers to maximize their societal impact through art, inspiring a broader movement of change driven by creativity. Carrie’s expertise extends to mentorship, project planning, fiscal strategies, organization leadership, and fostering creative collaborations, ensuring that every initiative is strategically executed for maximum impact. Complementing her hands-on work, Carrie is penning her inaugural book, Eclosion: An Artist’s Path to Power and Peace . In this work, she intertwines her memoir with a practical guide for unleashing personal and collective potential, offering a blueprint for transformative change through art—a light for a world in desperate need of inspiration.

fc3527e6-8f4f-4c99-9ede-f0a63c8fc3fb < Back I Myself am That 1/1 "I Myself am That!" Facilitated by Laurie Marshall and co-created with the people of McKees Rock. The artist invited people to point up and be photographed, then answer the question: ""What picture do you get when you hear the phrase - The Kingdom of God is Within You."" The following poem, written by Laurie, describes the process and symbolism of the mural. "I Myself Am That!" I am the rugged wall, bumpy, irregular, wavy - defying straights lines and welcoming transformation. I am Italian Renaissance windows over-looking McKee’s Rocks from Mt. Washington through the pre-dawn waning moon to the full moon at the end of a day. I am the Adena mound on top of the Rocks, holding the bones of the first peoples of this land, once 85 feet long and 20 feet high, almost the size of the new Father Ryan Art Center where this mural unfolds. I am the colors of the bricks of McKees Rocks holding the windows and the people of the Rocks. I am the borders of the windows heralding those who came here from Poland, Carpatho-Rusyn, the Ukraine, Germany, the many countries of Africa, and Ireland. And I am the border of the window honoring the first peoples of this land. I am the symbols travel-ing around the windows: The Carpatho-Rusyn symbol of eternal life, the Benin symbol of doing the impossible task, the Irish symbol of the trinity, the Native American symbol of the human being, the Native American symbol of the Medicine Wheel whose colors stand for all the races of the world. I am the texture and mixture of ethnicities that challenge, strengthen, divide and energize this nation. I am the hills and waters, the bridges and churches. I am the Spring, the Spring in McKees Rocks, The new growth, tender and green. I Myself am That! Thank you, My Waters. I am the Moslem woman whose God within is the light of service and the love of all humanity – Who made the painter's mother comfortable in the last days of her life when no one else knew how. I am the white fireman whose God within is purely and simply helping people. I am the young white ex-crack dealer whose God within is an angel with white wings and a white dress. After three years of doing time, he now has a job and is straight. “How did you do it, man? That’s big, to leave the street life,” asked the painter. “I surround myself with only positive people,” he replied. I am the 80 year-old factory worker from a Polish family of ten whose God within is the white and blue of the Virgin Mary. He worked in the steel mills and paper factory for 30 years, but neither one long enough to get much of a pension. $68 a month is the meager harvest of his long labor. I am the son of Croatian immigrants who returned to McKee’s Rocks with a vision of planning and prosperity. His God within is the ancestors - his grandfather who ran a bar and the mill worker patrons who filled it. I am the eight-year girl who worked on the mural in the hot muggy sun doing everything that she was asked with a smile and efficiency beyond her years - a girl whose God within is a rose for her heart. She moved the 12-foot scaffolding by herself! Thank you, My Water. I am the white policeman whose God within is the expanse of ocean and sky, pointing to the challenge and achievement of the impossible task. I am the woman who generously sold this building for the Father Ryan Art Center whose God within is her beloved husband – gone after 30 years of maintaining the building, making possible a new life today. I myself am that! I am the three year old who points to the mural and tells her mother ""That's my painting.” I am the mother who gently responds ""It's everyone's painting.” Pointing up to the river, the young daughter says, ""Thank you my water."" I am the elder Polish man who speaks little English, nuzzling up to me upon meeting as if we grew up in the same village and language is no barrier. I am the butterflies – orange, yellow, blue-black, white. I am the dragonflies, the soft brown moth and the plump grasshopper visiting the wall. I am the psychologist from Ghana who listens to his calling, rolls up his sleeves and does whatever needs to be done. I am the father of two, who hints that I have a pain beyond healing and sharing. I love my E.E. Cummings, my family, my hometown, my country. I bring cold drinks and conversation in the heat of the 95 degree muggy afternoons. Thank you, My Water. I Myself am That!” I am the great grey heron flying past. I am the sharp-shinned hawk, the red-tail hawk and the turkey buzzard I am the first young black man to be on the volunteer fire department. I minister to the elders in a nursing home and spend the day with homeless people in the city. I am the bird-like elder who speaks little English and watches the painter from across the street, waving to her and she waves back. I am the Tailor who brings the painter a case of bottled water, books with African patterns and a critical eye that the mural needs. Thank you my water. I Myself am That. I am the conversations that are catalyzed by the power of vision and paint – “It’s about time some one did something about this place.” “What do you think about the gay bishop? Have you told Father Ryan your opinion?” “I’m thinking that I won’t sell my building down the street now that the mural is here.” I am the tired, beautiful young mother getting off the bus from work with her two year old and four year old waiting for her return. I am the ambitious brothers, one going to Slippery Rock - a wide receiver on the football team, one going to Community College of Allegheny County to become a child psychologist. I am the farmers bringing their fresh fruits and vegetables, gladiolas and sunflowers, grown with the sweat of their muscles, to the lot by the mural every Thursday. I am the welcomed thunderstorms that drench the dry earth with water and give the painter an excuse to visit with her son, returned home for the summer, since she can’t paint in the rain. Thank you, My Water. I myself am That! I am the white man who lost my job and lost my wife and children to my best friend. Now all I want is to be independently wealthy and happily married. I am the skunks wafting our wild smell into the Rocks. I am the black man, too young to have had a stroke. I talk to the painter with a device that speaks phrases and gives warm support for her effort with a big smile. I am the four year old girl who tells my mother as I pass by the mural, ""My job is to paint!"" I'm the daughter of the tired, beautiful young mother who gets off the bus everyday from work. I am the yellow jackets with their cozy homes in the cracks in the tiles on top of the building. We have worked peacefully side by side the painter for six weeks. Thank you, My Water. I Myself am That! I am the 88 year old sign painter, who wears a cap like the painter's Pawpaw Harry. I travel for three hours on the bus two times a day to visit my wife in the hospital. I am the young woman in the Rental Store who brings water in the heat of the day and says ""I'm proud of my neighbor-hood now."" I am the white man, too young to have had a stroke, who yells up ""Paint me a picture. Paint me a picture of you naked."" I am the drugs, the alcohol, the tobacco Inhaled, smoked, consumed to ease the mountain of pain of McKees Rocks - losing a child, losing a limb, losing a life. I Myself am That. I am the white Vietnam vet who was thrown out of the house in the winter when I was 16 and was shot in the foot during the war. Now I'm a commander in the American Legion and looking for someone to write down my stories. I am the two white boys and two black boys riding bicycles together at top speed with freedom and joy at our backs on a childhood’s summer day. I am the young white crack dealer - thin, shabby - doing the trade with a black guy in broad daylight in the parking lot by the mural. I am a person in trouble, a town in trouble, a nation in trouble. I am the young black crack dealer, doing the trade with a white guy in the painter's son’s view the day before in broad daylight. I am a person in trouble, a town in trouble, a nation in trouble. I am the German man, the Jewish man, the man with a new hip (ouch), the man who is really a woman (double ouch) who each generously and cheerfully aids, abets and cajoles the hundreds of large and small tasks at hand to create the mural. I am the nurse/artist whose way is miraculously opened so she could make her powerful marks on the wall - the angel, the tiger. I am the landscape designer who quickly draws a sketch of barrels filled with grasses and flowers to go in front of the mural, then stays to paint, lug, research, help. I am the daughter of the Muslim woman who works harder and longer to help the painter than anyone else in the sun and heat, whose diligence and warmth made this achievement possible. I am the honorable Catholic Sisters and Fathers, Living the word of Jesus’ love, Year after year, service after service, set back after set back, Making the spiritual practical – Scrambling, scraping, struggling, failing, succeeding – On the verge of a new enterprise - a center of creativity and care. I am the Sproutfund, Growing seven works of imagination and heart throughout the city, Doing the impossible task, believing in the conversation between community and creators, Making decisions and taking action. I am the young billboard maintenance man who gets frightened by the yellow jackets in their cozy nests, and kills them with Hotshot the day the mural is done. I am the eagle, the bird of possibility and power, Soaring strong and free above us all. I am this question – What are your living pictures of the God within? I am this building, this hope, this spring, this beginning. Thank you my water. I myself am that!" McKees Rocks, PA 15136, USA Previous Next

44240ad1-7abc-46f4-8376-8562025a2b81 < Back Novato High Garden Mural 1/1 Novato High Garden Mural Novato, CA, USA Previous Next

6b359ec9-4d74-425c-b376-3616a043695c Back to Gallery Mural # 95 Banyan Singing Tree of Living Wisdom 1/1 Living Wisdom Middle and High School students design and paint The Banyan Singing Tree with their amazing principal, Kshama Kellogg. Date: April 10, 2021 Facilitator: Laurie Marshall Partners: Living Wisdom School Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA Previous Next

8efb1c9c-6632-4a80-9f0b-98db5b0d9299 < Back Rise and Shine - Awakening Heart to Heart 1/1 This 10’ diameter paper wall mural was co-created by over 100 women & children of the Elgin community. The collective mural was co-created over the course of an eight days Red Tent event celebrating the power of community, including a 100 piece art exhibit curated by Kathleen Brigidina. Some of the other events held during this Creative Collaboration were a local farm food luncheon, community drum circle, sound healing and massage offerings. A film called “The Red Tent” was shown with live comments by the movie producer. Facilitated by Singing Tree Facilitator Kathleen Brigidina Partners: Elgin ArtSpace Gallery S Spring St, Elgin, IL, USA Previous Next