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7c560b84-bf0a-4e79-b024-b0f857abcfc4 < Back We Must Care for the Earth Mural 1/1 "I loved making the above mural at Grant Grover School for college-aged students with special needs through Youth in Arts because of the devotion of the staff and students there. We made a simple, joyful image that reflects the accessible hearts of that community. Many of the students said that what meant the most to them about the project was that everyone in the school worked on it. They saw that they could all work together. When asked what they were most proud of in making this mural, many of the students at the Grant Grover School of the College of Marin said that they were able to make something together with the whole school. It was their sense of community, intertwined with their creativity, that gave them the greatest satisfaction. I know that these elements – total inclusion, no matter what the limitations, and imagination, plus hard work – is how the devastating odds that we’re up against can be solved." Facilitator Laurie Marshall San Rafael, CA, USA Previous Next

4bda6928-62bc-41a5-b5d6-959b3081970c Back to Gallery Mural # 71 The Municipal Program Managers Singing Tree of Excellence 1/1 City Managers in Washington, DC ended their George Washington University Leadership Training Program by reflecting on their experience together in the Singing Tree of Excellence. Date: July 1, 2019 Facilitator: Patricia Jensen Partners: George Washington University Location: 2121 I St NW, Washington, DC 20052 Previous Next

Sponsorship Opportunities Our mission is to bring divided communities together through collaborative community artwork, healing heartbreak and laying the foundation for success in meeting community challenges. We empower youth, adults, and elders through collaborative art and storytelling to embrace the wisdom of heartbreak, envision a positive future and spark innovative action. With your support we can provide this to more communities, especially the most underserved. Unity Through Creativity adds to the Culture of Peace, building “The Beloved Community”, one mural at a time. We invite you to join our community of Peace Leaders and Creative Activists! Level 1 Partner (Includes all of level 2 benefits) Sequoia Grove - $75,000 Name in Title of mural Sponsorship of 6 murals Company name or logo included in the design of the mural Company mural created with employees, included as one of the sponsored mural. Donation of art supplies to participating school presented by Sponsor Customized package of benefits Redwood Grove - $50,000 Name as Presenter of mural (3 positions) Sponsorship of 3 murals Company mural created with employees, included as one of the sponsored mural. Donation of art supplies to participating school presented by Sponsor Customized package of benefits Oak Grove - $25,000 Name as Presenter of mural (3 positions) Sponsorship of 1 mural Company mural created with employees, included as one of the sponsored mural. Donation of art supplies to participating school presented by Sponsor Customized package of benefits Level 2 Partner Visionary - $10,000 All Innovator benefits, plus: Name included in press releases to media Name/logo included as a Sponsor in mural video Representative interview included in mural video Opportunity to paint mural with muralists Innovator - $5,000 All Innovator benefits, plus: Name on plaque or stand at mural site Name included in social media posts Sponsor to receive poster and 10 postcards of mural image Advocate - $2,500 All Innovator benefits, plus: Acknowledgement at post event celebration Supporter - $1,000 All Innovator benefits, plus: Name/logo included on promotional materials Community - $500 All Innovator benefits, plus: Name/logo included at UTC website Name included in credits of mural video Ambassador - $250 Name/logo included at UTC website Become a Sponsor To learn more about becoming a sponsor please contact us at: 415-612-0401 or laurie@unitythroughcreativity.org

4dcf041f-b447-49ad-8a08-09c0a3f726ef Back to Gallery Mural # 142 The Listening Tree of Life, Earth and Indigenous Wisdom 1/1 This Singing Tree led by Kathleen Brigidina was made with 300 people at an Elgin Community College Native American Heritage Month event, called "The Great Listening." The purpose of the event was to honor the voices of all indigenous people and the Mother Earth. The Elgin Community College District 509 Board of Trustees approved the college’s first Indigenous Land Acknowledgment Statement at the Dec.13, 2022, regular meeting. The statement was researched and drafted by students in Antonio Ramirez, PhD, professor of history’s new HIS-150, History of Native America, course. “This is an important first step towards building more awareness of Indigenous people and issues, past and present, on ECC’s campus,” said Ramirez. “I believe that the students learned a lot through this process, and so did I.” The official statement reads: We acknowledge that Elgin Community College currently sits on the traditional homelands of Anishinaabe peoples, also known as the Three Fires Confederacy: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi. Many ( All ) other Native peoples also lived on this land and in this region. Forced removal and violence, including the 1804 Treaty of St. Louis and the 1829 Treaty of Prairie du Chien, made way for European settlements, which eventually included the land where our campus sits. Native peoples have survived attempts to erase their culture, language, and heritage but continue to thrive on this land. Elgin Community College commits to sharing this history and promises to help cultivate a bright future for Native peoples on campus and beyond. Let this statement allow us to open our ears and sincerely listen to the voices of Native peoples. Let it be the beginning of a continuing, deep, and respectful relationship between ECC and Native peoples. Date: November 29, 2023 Facilitator: Kathleen Brigidina Partners: Elgin Community College Location: Elgin Community College, Spartan Drive, Elgin, IL, USA Previous Next

ec8359e9-99c8-4e19-a0ef-7cdb39d06ab6 Back to Gallery Mural # 11 Cherry Singing Tree of Hope 1/1 The Cherry Singing Tree, led by 5th grade artists at the Helen S. Faison Arts Academy in Pittsburgh, PA. Under Laurie Marshall's guidance, about 800 people contributed, including elders in San Francisco from China and S. America. The theme was "What is most important on this earth." 12' x 8' Date: August 19, 2006 Facilitator: Laurie Marshall Partners: Helen S. Faison Arts Academy Location: 7430 Tioga St, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, USA Previous Next

6c0981c2-dd12-494d-93cb-b731e5fa61f0 Back to Gallery Mural # 101 The Singing Tree of Love and Inclusion 1/1 The Singing Tree of Love and Inclusion at Biondi Elementary School in Yonkers, New York - facilitated by Kristin Linder-Holmes in a school for traumatized youth. Date: October 1, 2021 Facilitator: Kristin Linder-Holmes Partners: Biondi Elementary School in Yonkers, New York Location: Yonkers, NY, USA Previous Next

5dc4f38d-0c12-4e00-a04f-f4e87eb1927c Back to Gallery Mural # 124 The Arroyo Willow and Live Oak Singing Tree of Differences and Appreciation 1/1 43 sixth graders in the classes of Mr. Showalter-Garcia and Ms. Marsh were the Lead Design Team in this “Peace Building Through Art” program. It is one of three paintings created in the Fall of 2023 by the students of Piner-Olivet Union School District. In 10 days, the students chose the theme of “Differences and Appreciation,” researched and selected trees, designed and painted the background, drew and cut out over 500 leaves and birds, went to all the classes in the school to invite students and staff to make images of what they appreciate on the cutouts, and glued the cutouts. Finally the sixth graders made a presentation in front of the whole school, unveiling the completed mural. They gained skills in leadership, communication, creativity, and collaboration. The painting celebrates the mascot of Schaefer Elementary School - the Bear. The Arroyo Willow symbolizes grief and recovery, and the Live Oak symbolizes abundance and strength. The Pomo People are honored in the crescent moon with a design inspired by a Pomo basket. Maurice Schaefer, whose farm land was sold to make the school, is in the middle of the earth. The project was funded by a California Arts and Music grant. “Making this mural was an opportunity of a lifetime.” - Owen, age 11 Date: October 20, 2023 Facilitator: Laurie Marshall and Lili Lopez Partners: California Arts and Music Location: Santa Rosa, CA, USA Previous Next

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3ec4ff2b-b5ed-46be-abf4-e84e6ed8cfc2 Back to Gallery Mural # 54 Blood Dragon Singing Tree to Prevent Extinction 1/1 Hearthstone School completes the Blood Dragon Singing Tree to Prevent Extinction, inspired by seven-year-old page Prince, daughter of Lisa Prince. Do you feel the Earth teaming with life? Do you feel how precious life is? The magical thing is that the children made sure that there were children of the animals. There is a whale and a baby whale. A flamingo and a baby flamingo. An elephant and a baby elephant. A Black Panther and a teenage Jaguar or black panther. A turtle and a baby turtle. A bear and a baby bear. The children see the world intergenerationally, which is often easy to forget as adults. Lili Lopez, thank you for your wonderful design. Date: February 21, 2017 Facilitator: Laurie Marshall Partners: Hearthstone School Location: 11576 Lee Hwy, Sperryville, VA 22740 Previous Next

Seasons of Hope Singing Tree < Back Art as Peace Building by Laurie Marshall Seasons of Hope Singing Tree Art can serve as a preventive medicine with the power to transform the effects of violence individually, within a school, and in the greater community, as seen through three projects. As art educators, we can “critique” senseless violence—mistreatment, exclusion, intimidation, bullying, violation, abuse, corruption, murder, and war—by unleashing the power of our students’ creativity. In this article, I’ll talk about how art is preventative medicine with the power to transform the cycle of violence, sharing my philosophical context. I’ll focus on three realms: (1) Art healing the effects of violence on the individual, (2) Art unifying divisions within a school, and (3) Art for building peace in a greater community. For each realm, I will give example projects. Context Philosopher Rudolf Steiner, 1861-1925, said that the terrible blood letting of the 20th century was a result of the fact that people couldn’t express their souls (Lachman, 2007). I’m using the word soul to mean the non-physical aspect of a person—the unique essence of a person that is gone when he or she dies, as well as that which gives our lives purpose and meaning. As art teachers, we make the safe space for young people to express their souls, and, thereby, help to both prevent and heal the experience of violence. I am using the definition of violence by peace researcher Johan Galtung (1969), which includes people not reaching their potential, which leads to having a significantly lessened quality of life. Art teachers have the power to engage the whole school as a place where the sacredness of life is made visible, lively, beautiful, and authentic. Through the art on the walls, inclusion and diversity are celebrated and the students and their community are engaged in a dynamic process of healing. Buddha described life as 10,000 sorrows and 10,000 joys. Human beings are constantly being wounded. That’s life. No one escapes. Human beings are constantly healing. That’s life, too. Through a deep natural process, we heal. Art is intrinsically healing. It turns sorrow into a shared story. The destructive force of life is changed into the creative force in art. Pain, grief, loss, alienation, and confusion get handled, shaped, painted, sculpted, released, communicated, and transformed into beauty. Art teachers promote the flow of creativity, where the hormones of connection and happiness are released—oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine (De Dreu & Carsten, 2013). We have all experienced the magical alchemy of the creative process or we would not be in this field. We help students find peace of mind as they express their feelings, participate in self-reflection, and learn about the endless reservoir of imagination within them—thereby experiencing more faith and trust in themselves and others. And, since healing happens when there is peace of mind, art teachers are inherently “Peace Leaders.” We play a crucial role in crafting a positive school culture that supplants violence, bullying, suffering, alienation, and division. Art rooms provide the space, tools, and materials for the expression of a wide range of human experience: pride, respect, discovery, exploration, success, grit, perseverance, self-inquiry, grieving, humor, laughter, learning, play, love, and joy. Where there is joy, there is peace. In art, we have an antidote to violence. I envision art departments around the world as hubs of soulful sharing that transform schools into vessels of well being where peace equals mastery, strength, and being cool. This vision comes from 40 years of making art with young people in a variety of settings: as a teaching artist and certified classroom teacher in public schools (in rural Virginia; inner-city Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Santa Rosa and Oakland, California), as a multiple-subject Waldorf teacher in a public charter school, and as an international collaborative mural artist. I come to this vision with humility in the face of the enormous complexity that the issue of violence encompasses. Solutions must be sought in many realms, including supporting families, spreading prosperity, transforming media, having logical gun control, and encouraging mental health practices. One of the solutions is also to make full use of the vital role that art teachers can play in decreasing violence in schools. Realm One: Art Transforming Individual Violence Though art teachers are not trained as art therapists, we are constantly seeing the emotional struggles of our students through their artwork. The act of expressing emotional pain in the art class allows for healing to begin. We can direct young people to get professional help when we see danger reflected in their drawings. Here is one story about how self-expression resulted in the discovery of purpose and healing for one student. When I’m teaching an art class, I let my students know that if they have an image that is pressing to come out, it takes priority over assignments. This was the case with Josie,2 a 9th grader who transferred to my class in rural Virginia from Colorado during the middle of the school year. She had a mostly shaved head and cut marks on her arm, and would barely look anyone in the eye. Her words were few as she made small, tight ink drawings. She became more adventurous when we used pastels. She drew a screaming girl with a figure behind the child, standing in a doorway. I suggested she add a shadow to the figure. After getting the initial shape blocked in, she blew the chalk and the shape of a hand emerged, which she developed. Filling in the surrounding darkness was her final step. She got covered in black chalk. She washed her hands and came back the next day to continue filling in the darkness and washing herself clean at the end. It turned out that Josie had been raped by her stepfather. In creating this image, she transformed herself. That terrible experience lost much of its power over her life when she captured the sheer terror on paper and shared it with others. She put her 30" x 20" pastel in the high school art show. A person offered $75 for it, which she refused. Her drawing was a symbol of her triumph and she wanted to keep it. Her new schoolmates were moved by her courage, gave her respect, and welcomed her in their conversations and social life. She talked to the adults in her life about what happened and began therapy. By healing herself, Josie was then able to help heal the world. She sent the image to the National Association for Child Abuse Prevention to use in their efforts. I arranged for the pastel to be in the survivor’s art show put on by the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. Josie’s willingness to share her image came from a clear stand: “I want other children to know they are not alone” (personal communication, March 14, 2000). Art played the role of helping her find inner peace, which is an essential step for preventing violence. In healing herself, Josie gave strength to others who have experienced violence. Figure 1. Child Abuse.Pastel on paper. 20" x 30". Realm Two: Art Healing Divisions Within the School Division within schools comes from differences being perceived as dangerous. Human beings have deep wiring from 3.2 million years as hunters and gatherers that causes us to see a person outside of our “tribe” as being a threat. People also have competing wiring, which causes us to be curious about, and fascinated by, those who are different. Art makes differences the source of new understanding, connection, and richness. Art is the model of different materials coming together to make a new thing. Pen and paper join to make an image. Hands and clay make a sculpture. Paint, wall, and brushes create a mural. When students walk into art class, they are walking into the paradigm of the place where differences are needed and celebrated. It is the place where each student’s unique view of the world is asked for and valued. While teaching the Visual Art Standards, we strive to create the opportunity for the students to express what is theirs alone to say, and to experience that they will be enriched and strengthened by the messages of others. Making students conscious of the importance of differences in creating art is part of their training to be Peace Leaders of the school. The following is an example of such a project. We Are 1 Tribe (Figures 2 & 3) was made by 25 students at the Arts & Ethics Academy in Santa Rosa, California, many of who had been incarcerated. I walked into a classroom where the teenagers used foul language, showed disrespect to each other, and were disengaged in artmaking. The tension was palpable between rival gangs in the class: the Sureños, who wore blue, and the Norteños, who wore red. The class had students from other backgrounds as well: African American, Native American, White hippies, and students who identify themselves as “rednecks.” Figure 2. We Are 1 Tribe. In progress. Figure 3. We Are 1 Tribe. Acrylic paint, plaster-impregnated gauze, fabric, wood, yarn. 10' x 4' This collective sculpture was inspired by the Owerri Igobo’s mbari houses of Nigeria. In that tradition, young people spend 9 months away from their village under the supervision of a master craftsman. They make mud sculptures of ancestors, future children, and invented animals to honor the creator goddess. This experience trains the young people to consult those who are gone, the unborn children, and the natural world when important decisions are being made. After I shared the story of this tradition with the students, I invited them to make a collective sculpture with the controversial name, We Are 1 Tribe. In a guided meditation, I asked them to imagine a loved one who are dead, a yet-to-be-born child, and/or their most-loved animal. They drew whatever arose from their imagination as the basis of their sculpture. They made armatures for the sculptures out of paper towel or toilet paper rolls and cardboard mailing tubes, bound together with masking tape. We used newspaper and more tape to shape forms, which were then covered with plaster-impregnated gauze. (See Figure 2.) Again inspired by mbari houses with their bold geometric patterns, we painted a backdrop for the sculptures, which incorporated the red and blue colors of the two gangs in class. At a girl’s suggestion, we painted purple in the center to symbolize the gangs uniting and making something new. The finished sculpture (Figure 3) is a celebration of the imagination, sorrow, hopes, and beauty of the teenagers in the art class. The figure without hair in the middle of the sculpture honors 16-year-old Alex, a Sureño member who was killed in a gang-related shooting. The student who made him wrote: “I hope that Alex will live on when people see my sculpture and hear his story”(personal communication, February 5, 2010). The tallest figure on the right of the sculpture symbolizes the future son of one of the students, with the colors of the Norteños on his hat. The young Native American man who made him wrote: “I hope that my son, Anthony, will live life without having to worry about the next day and the next month’s rent. I hope that he finds work that he loves doing and gets paid well. My son means a lot to me. He is a piece of me to live on when I leave this world” (personal communication, February 5, 2010). I used this collection of loved ones, animals, mermaids, and firebirds as a powerful visual metaphor make our lives bigger and richer. The process of making the sculpture helped the students feel more like members of a common group. By the time we finished our project together, the students still cursed like truck drivers, but they showed more respect to each other, were deeply engaged in artmaking, and were proud of the collective work they created. The art teacher strategically creates projects that bring diverse groups within the school to co-create, thereby giving rivals a common experience and a physical symbol of their success. By doing this, the art teacher plays a role in transforming the whole school, making it a place of joy, beauty, and learning. Art teachers are installation artists. The hallways, bathrooms, stairs, and outside walls of the school are up for creative input. As Peace Leaders, we listen to the administrators and teachers about what will serve the highest goals of the schools and generate projects that envision success. Wonderfprojects can result from asking the question, “How can I help engage the students in areas where they are struggling?” (See Figures 4 & 5.) History, math, English, and science can be celebrated on 8' x 4' pieces of ¼" Masonite, on paper, or on freestanding murals made of framed plywood with hinges between the boards (Figure 4). Figure 4. The Web of Life. Biology free-standing mural made with 75 7th-graders at Rappahannock County Elementary School, rural Virginia. Acrylic on wood. 8' x 16', portable. Figure 5. You Can Always Count on Math. Made with 60 high school art students at Westinghouse High School, inner-city Pittsburgh, PA. Acrylic on wood. 8' x 4'. Hung in a front hallway. As Thomas Moore, author of The Care of the Soul, points out: The soul’s instrument is imagination (Moore, 1992, p. xiii). The more imaginatively we treat the space of the school, and the more imagination we foster in students, the more nurtured the students will feel. Nurtured people are not violent. Every square inch of the school can be harnessed to display student work. Creativity is contagious, so we encourage the other teachers to understand that they, too, are installation artists. Our job as Peace Leaders is to communicate love, inclusion, and appreciation on a daily basis to the staff, students, parents, and community. Realm Three: Art as Peace Building Within the Community The artwork generated in our classes has work to do in the community, as well. Its beauty, fresh vision, and originality are needed to combat the despair, suffering, and cynicism of our time. We can take art to the libraries, malls, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, airports, bus stops, abandoned storefronts, construction fences, and billboards. (See Figures 6 & 7.) By doing so, we add joy to our communities, which helps lead to peaceful communities. In addition to taking student artwork to the community, the art department can be more proactive in promoting peace through collaborative murals and international exchanges. One such structure is Create Peace Project’s Singing Tree mural, in which the art students invite the community to collage a symbolic work of a tree on the earth in space. The collaborative painting reflects the community’s values or a desire to transform a challenge, such as violence. This mural framework teaches leadership development through The Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ “4Cs”: collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking (www.p21.org). It is used to bring awareness to an issue by envisioning positive solutions and sparking innovative actions. Inspired by a child’s vision of the whole world making a painting together, everyone is welcomed to help make the image of a tree on the earth in space, creating a forest of Singing Trees.3 The art students, as Peace Leaders, choose a tree to honor, come up with a driving question, design the overall image, paint the background of the galaxies on wood, and prepare the pieces. Each participant creates an individual colored pencil drawing on paper—a leaf, a bird, part of the trunk, a star, part of the earth—which is then fitted together and glued into a unified image on the board. Part of the fun is distributing, hosting, and collecting the images. Reaching beyond the school walls, the art students invite their classmates and those in the community who are affected by the issue to envision the world they want to see and draw it. The collaborative mural process, where 50-1,500 people add their vision to a cohesive whole, provides a structure for the creative genius of the community to be expressed. Singing Trees are a visual model of democracy and a vehicle for peace building. Science, math, English, social sciences, emotional intelligence, and art standards can all be met through this project. Since 1999, 32 murals have been made with over 14,000 people from 50 countries. One example of the use of a Singing Tree is by Everett Middle School in San Francisco, which lost a student to gun violence in 2001. Each year they devote a week to Peace Studies. In 2011, they created the Cypress Singing Tree of Peace (Figure 8), where students share the action they plan to take into their community to create peace. Now the students have a physical reminder of their collective commitment to solving conflicts non-violently. Figure 6. Inner Landscapes. Helen S. Faison Arts Academy, inner-city Pittsburgh, PA. Acrylic paint on wood. Figure 7. Inner Landscapes. Holy Names Upward Bound, abandoned lot in Oakland, CA. Acrylic on wood. Figure 8. Cypress Singing Tree of Peace. Acrylic paint, colored pencil and paper on wood. 12' x 24' Singing Trees are used to build global citizenship. Students in Elbert, Colorado, created the Aspen Singing Tree of Heroes with people from homeless shelters, women’s shelters, as well as youth in Haiti, Mexico, and Peru. One of the art students suggested the image of three aspen trees to symbolize unity, since an aspen forest is a single organism. A simpler peace-building project that reaches outside the community of the school is Create Peace Project’s Peace Exchange—an international exchange of art and messages of peace between students of the world. The Peace Exchange uses peace cards (6" x 8" postcards) to foster connection and spread peace. The students begin with simple peace practices such as closing their eyes, putting their hand on their heart, and remembering a time they felt at peace. They share their vision, creativity, and wisdom about peace on the postcard, while learning about life in the country with which they are exchanging cards. Before the cards are sent, they are exhibited in the halls of the school. The senders of the cards then receive cards from students in another country, who received their messages of peace. The project connects students to themselves, each other, and students across the continents—bridging cultural, religious, and racial boundaries. Over 27,000 young people from Nepal, Uganda, Ghana, India, Haiti, Colombia, and the United States have expressed their souls and touched another through this simple process. (See Figure 9.) I end with a personal story that has contributed to the passion I bring to the vision of art departments across the nation playing a conscious role in creating peace on their campuses. The first person who was killed by Seung-Hui Cho at Virginia Tech in 2007 was my former art student, 19-year-old Emily Hilscher of Rappahannock County, Virginia (Figure 10). Figure 9. Students from Ghana share their images. Beginning when she was 8, Emily came to my art camp in a close-knit community of 7,000 people in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Emily’s art was rooted in nature, whimsy, and affection. I remember a watercolor painting she made of a white swan surrounded by deep ultramarine and mountains in the background. Passionate in her devotion to the natural world, Emily was studying to be a veterinarian in her first year at Virginia Tech. There, Cho took her life, as well as his own and 31 others, in the largest mass shooting in U.S. history to date. After the massacre at Virginia Tech, I flew from my new home in San Francisco to Emily’s funeral. The high school’s sign, which is usually posted at sports events and school holidays, read: “We love you, Emily.” The memorial service was held on the high school track. At the end of the ceremony, white doves were released against the blue April sky. In the height of sorrow at this senseless loss, I heard Cho’s name mentioned twice—both in the context of the tragic consequences of the mental health treatment he did not get (Jenkins & Schulte, 2007). Figure 10. Emily Hilscher, who lost her life in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. When I returned to California, I had a dream about the young man who succeeded in causing others to feel the magnitude of his pain. Cho was 8 in the dream—the same age that Emily was when I first met her. He was furious. He kicked me in the stomach and sent a sickly yellow-green light from his eyes into mine. As this strange light entered me, I felt my body change. I looked into a mirror and saw that I had become Asian. I was aware that, even though I had a different body, my soul remained the same. It was the clearest experience I ever had of my soul as a distinct entity. Cho looked at me with tears running down his enraged face and said, “I had a soul and no one saw it.” The dream message from the person who killed Emily confirmed my commitment to do everything in my power as an art teacher to build peace. I strengthened my stand that each student who comes across my path has a space to express his or her soul in the art class. In this article, I’ve shared three realms where art can transform the effects of violence—individually, within a school, and in the greater community. The practice of art actually rewires the brain to move from “difference as danger” to “difference as richness.” As our world increases in complexity, the arts have an increasingly vital role to play to the set the stage where peace is possible and violence is prevented. I invite you to continue your brave work creating images with your students that transform grief, celebrate uniqueness, and share fresh hope and vision within the school and beyond its walls. We never know how far-reaching the effects of our work can be. We never know when tragedy might be staved off by a safe space created by an art teacher. With the clear intention of using art for self-awareness and connection, the promise in Emily’s and Cho’s short lives will grow in the beauty that is created by those of us who are left behind. References De Dreu, & Carsten, K. W. (2013, July 16) Oxtonergic circuitry sustains and enables creative cognition in humans. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Retrieved from http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/ content/early/2013/07/16/scan.nst094.abstract Galtung, J. (1969). Violence, peace, and peace research. Peace Studies Journal, 6(3), 167-191. Copenhagen, Eijers Hacket, R. (1996). Art and religion in Africa. New York, NY: Cassell. Holzman, R., & Marshall, L. (2011). Let’s create peace. Daily Peace Practices, 12 Art-for-Peace Projects and Peace Studies. Retrieved from CreatePeaceProject. org Jenkins, C., & Schulte, B. (2007, May 8). Cho didn’t get court ordered treatment. Washington Post. Retrieved from www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ article/2007/05/06/AR2007050601403.html Jensen, E. (2010). Art with the brain in mind. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass Jensen, E. (2013). Turnaround tools for the teenage brain. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass. Lachman, G. (2007). Rudolf Steiner: An introductions to his life and work. New York, NY: Penguin. Moore, T. (1992). Care of the soul. New York City, NY: Harper Collins. O’Dea, J. (2012). Cultivating peace—Becoming a 21st century peace ambassador. San Rafael, CA: Shift. Palmer, W., & Crawford, W. (2013). Leadership embodiment. San Rafael, CA: Create Space. Endnotes 1 www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/182763. Michelangelo 2 Pseudonym. 3 Instructions to make a Singing Tree https://www.unitythroughcreativity.org/ 4 More information on the Aspen Singing Tree of Heroes project can be found at: https://www.unitythroughcreativity.org/singing-tree-murals/the-aspen-singing-tree-of-heroes Previous Next

735bd4ba-21d2-4a7e-8534-3f62d718eb92 Back to Gallery Mural # 27 Seasons of Hope Singing Tree –Summer of Serenity 1/1 The Seasons of Hope Singing Trees, made with homeless and formerly homeless kids who led with 1000 young people to create these four murals in Marin County, California. Unity Through Creativity is no longer affiliated with Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity. Date: October 3, 2012 Facilitator: Laurie Marshall Partners: NA Location: Marin County, CA, USA Previous Next

Hero’s Journey Professional Development for Teachers and Arts Integration Projects "Hero's Journey" Arts Integration Workshop Provides an arts integration structure using elements of story, drawing, design, observation and creativity To make a real product for a real audience that expresses a real interest. To fertilize imagination To strengthen self-confidence Elementary, middle school and high school art teachers from El Paso Independent School District. Supports teachers in having the more tools to engage students and provide an environment of trust and creativity. Tools like making agreements as the starting point for projects. Laurie Marshall with El Paso teachers discussing shared agreements. Learn the simple structure that is the basis for story telling with an example by Laurie Marshall. Page 1 - The Hero's Call or Longing. When I lived in California, I missed being with my grandson Oliver. Page 2 - The Obstacles, the Monsters. I couldn't see him because of Covid. Page 3 - The Helpers. I got help from the owl, the coyote, flowers and the U.S. Mail Service. The Resolution. I made Oliver a coloring book and sent it Oliver, which allowed me to play with him, even though he was far away.

7c35f76a-1c25-4768-b0d3-971d5b356f06 Back to Gallery Mural # 104 Cyprus Singing Tree Of Peace 1/1 The Cyprus Singing Tree of Peace is the Year 1 mural of the five-year Cyprus Singing Tree Mural Project. UTC is collaborating on this project with with Marina Neophytou and Alden Jacobs of Visual Voices, a peacebuilding-though-art organization in Nicosia ( https://visual-voices.org ). The Cyprus Singing Tree Mural Project includes people on both sides of the divided island working to create a networking of peacebuilding and address the deep wounds and civil disruption the began with the civil war in 1974. The Cyprus Singing Tree of Peace was created by a Lead Design Team of artists from both sides of the country with the participation of a large number of members of the wider community. The project was carried out in the Buffer Zone with the support of the Cyprus Ministry of Culture and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), as well as private donors in the United States. The mural is installed on an exterior wall of the UNFICYP headquarters in the Buffer Zone. The Cyprus Singing Tree of Peace Mural this video was made by Visual Voices Date: April 4, 2022 Facilitator: Alden Jacobs and Marina Neophytou Partners: Visual Voices Location: Nicosia, Cyprus Previous Next

Hybrid Innovative Team-building Training This innovative team-building program uses the arts to help change agents creatively transform heartbreaking challenges in their communities. It is a shovel-ready transformation structure, incorporating visual arts, storytelling, neurobiology and ecology to accelerate connection, deepen trust and spark innovation. We are happy to offer an hybrid Innovative Team-building Facilitator Certification program. The training will be in the third weekend of February 20th, 21st, and 22nd. Participants will have complete experience of designing and creating a Singing Tree® Mural . This can be a stand alone workshop or completed as a pre-requisite for certification. Time: February 20th, 21st, and 22nd Location: UTC Studio, El Paso Westside Zoom Space is limited This workshop will be followed by a five-month Innovative Team-building Facilitator Certification program. This program will support you in bringing the Singing Tree® Mural Project to any community of your choice, meeting one Saturday a month. The Singing Tree® Mural Project is an invitation to everyone on the planet to transcend disconnection and loneliness by having fun creating together. Founder Laurie Marshall designed the Singing Tree® mural structure - works of art created by many people working together inspired by the mutualism of trees and forests. The Singing Tree® Mural Project demonstrates that collaboration is not only possible, but it produces extraordinary results. 144 murals have been made by over 26,000 people from 52 countries. For Monthly Payment Plans and Scholarships : Call (415)612-0401 or email: certification@unitythroughcreativity.org Innovative TB Certification | Online $ 2,997 2,997$ Full Certification as a Innovative Teambuilding Facilitator Online Program Select Innovative Teambuilding Facilitator Certification Innovative Certify Installments Hybrid $ 550 550$ Every month 6 installments of $550 each ($3300) Full Certification as a Innovative Teambuilding Facilitator Online Program Select Innovative Team-building Facilitator Certification Stand-alone Workshop | Online $ 497 497$ Innovative Teambuilding | Workshop Only | Online Select

International Day of Peace Speakers and Performers Registration First name Email Last name Phone Name of Organization: Short summary about you or group Link to your website or social media Donation optional Register