Party with the World / Press release

Late Night - Dallas Museum of Art, September 19, 2008Block Party Peace Festival – Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff, September 21, 2008DALLAS, TX - Commitment to Peace.  One inspired person, Jeremy Gilley, convinced the United Nations to declare, September 21, the International Day of Peace and authored the book, “Peace One Day”.  You, your family and friends can celebrate with people all over the globe by participating in two special events sponsored by TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING (TMtB).TMtB starts the weekend celebration on September 19, 7:00 – 8:00 pm at the DMA, with a fun artist demonstration for kids and adults in the C3 area. Dallas artist, Karen Blessen, co-founder of TMtB, and illustrator of the book “Peace One Day” will sign copies of the book following the demonstration.The main event, on September 21, the International Day of Peace, is an all-day world-wide celebration.  In Dallas, the eclectic Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff, is hosting a block party along with TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING and many other community sponsors.  The festival will have food, live music, booths, and activities for kids.TMtB is also celebrating “MasterPEACE: Young Artists Making a Kinder World”, TMtB’s peace curriculum, which used art as the vehicle to teach personal peace and conflict resolution in eight Dallas school.  The TMtB peace curriculum was adapted from a successful program being done in the U.K., developed by Jeremy Gilley, the man who inspired the UN to name September 21, the International Day of Peace.XXXXXXXXXXXXXToday Marks the Beginning (TMtB) uses art to impact public awareness of social issues.  Innovative projects join with creative talents to bring about unifying and compassionate solutions. TMtB is a non-profit arts organization that initiates and facilitates a diverse range of projects.  We believe in the power of art to transform lives and enrich communities. Today Marks the Beginning partners with foundations, schools, and other organizations to promote community interaction and to help make a positive difference in the lives of all people though creative expression. 2008-08-15T13:33:15Z 1

2008-09-19

2008-09-19T02:49:49Z

Dallas, TX -   “The Non-Violence and Human Rights Curriculum” developed by the non-profit arts organization, TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING begins its pilot program in seven Dallas area schools in April 2008.  Currently used successfully in the United Kingdom, TMtB’s adapted curriculum, addresses these problems with specific strategies that help students “increase the peace.”  By practicing creative solutions to conflict using visual and performing arts, the curriculum identifies specific actions children can use to take the lessons of the curriculum beyond the classroom.   Lessons include: Great Peacemakers, Conflict Resolution, Bullying, and Creating a Personal Vision of Peace.   It does this by: •    teaching children specific strategies and techniques for practicing conflict resolution, addressing bullying, and using nonviolence; •    using art as a vehicle for specific action to advance peace during and after the course; •    establishing “world peace” as subject of academic study and a necessary skill to learn alongside reading, history, and mathematics.  Participating schools are:   Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School,  J.W. Ray Learning Center, Maple Lawn Elementary, Parish Episcopal, Rice Elementary, S.S. Conner Elementary, William Brown Miller Elementary, and Hotchkiss Elementary.   The collected works of all student participants will be exhibited at the International Day of Peace celebration in the Bishop Arts District September, 2008.   “We can't protect our children from harm, but through art and peace making, we can give them some tools to protect themselves.”  Karen Blessen, TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING, co-founder. Mission:  Today Marks the Beginning uses art to impact public awareness of social issues. Innovative projects join with creative talents to help bring about unifying and compassionate solutions. Contact:  Lou Michaels, 469-438-6640, michaels@talentdynamics.com 2008-09-12T15:43:16Z 2

2008-04-01

Dallas Area Schools Kids Learn to Make Peace in Midst of Chaos/ Press Release

2008-09-19T02:46:26Z

Dallas, TX -   “The Non-Violence and Human Rights Curriculum” developed by the non-profit arts organization, TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING begins its pilot program in seven Dallas area schools in April 2008.  The curriculum addresses students’ struggles with bullying and intimidation in schools and violence outside the school. Currently used successfully in the United Kingdom, TMtB’s adapted curriculum, addresses these problems with specific strategies that help students “increase the peace.”  By practicing creative solutions to conflict using visual and performing arts, the curriculum identifies specific actions children can use to take the lessons of the curriculum beyond the classroom.   Lessons include: Great Peacemakers, Conflict Resolution, Bullying, and Creating a Personal Vision of Peace.   It does this by: •    teaching children specific strategies and techniques for practicing conflict resolution, addressing bullying, and using nonviolence; •    using art as a vehicle for specific action to advance peace during and after the course; •    establishing “world peace” as subject of academic study and a necessary skill to learn alongside reading, history, and mathematics.  Participating schools are:   Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School,  J.W. Ray Learning Center, Maple Lawn Elementary, Parish Episcopal, Rice Elementary, S.S. Conner Elementary, William Brown Miller Elementary, and Hotchkiss Elementary.  The collected works of all student participants will be exhibited at the International Day of Peace celebration in the Bishop Arts District September, 2008.   “We can't protect our children from harm, but through art and peace making, we can give them some tools to protect themselves.”  Karen Blessen, TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING, co-founder. Mission:  Today Marks the Beginning uses art to impact public awareness of social issues. Innovative projects join with creative talents to help bring about unifying and compassionate solutions. Contact:  Lou Michaels, 469-438-6640, michaels@talentdynamics.com 2008-09-12T15:45:18Z 3

2008-04-01

Curriculum on Non-Violence and Human Rights in Dallas Area Schools/ Press Release

2008-09-19T02:47:04Z

Dallas - The Dallas Arboretum will serve as the backdrop for Earning by Learning of Dallas' (EBL) 8th Annual Reading in the Garden, an interactive novel study for Dallas ISD 4th and 5th graders with Pulitzer Prize author/illustrator Karen Blessen on May 5 from 9:30am to 12:00pm. Reading in the Garden engages students in celebrating cultural diversity, addressing social injustices, as well as fostering a love of reading.   Peace One Day illustrated by Karen Blessen and written by Jeremy Gilley is the featured novel for the reading. Participants will join the illustrator/author for a literacy discussion followed by a tour of the gardens, entertainment and lunch.   Reading in the Garden gives Earning by Learning students an exclusive opportunity to interact with nationally acclaimed children's authors and illustrators surrounded by the splendor of the Dallas Arboretum. "We are ecstatic that Dallas' very own Karen Blessen will join us this year in helping young children discover the joy of reading, "said Thelma Morris-Lindsey, executive director, Earning by Learning.   Peace One Day documents the journey of one person's commitment to establish a World Peace Day. Jeremy Gilley believed that there should be a day dedicated to peace every year, a World Peace Day. He chronicles his journey traveling the globe and meeting with world leaders. Because of his efforts, September 21st is now designated as World Peace Day. The book is beautifully illustrated by award winning illustrator/author, Karen Blessen.   "I am so thrilled that Earning by Learning chose Peace One Day as the book for the 8th Annual Reading in the Garden. What a wonderful opportunity to share Jeremy Gilley's story, which shows all of us how one person can make a difference in making the world a more peaceful place, " says Blessen.   Sponsors of the 8th Annual Reading in the Gardenevent are Dallas Arboretum, the Ricky Rudine Memorial Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas, New Car Dealers Association, Today Marks the Beginning, Don Herring Mitsubishi, Bloomfield Photography and Inwood Bank.   Contact Information For more information on the Reading in the Garden call 214-442-1620.   Earning by Learning of Dallas is a supplemental reading incentive program established in 1996. Earning by Learning's mission is to encourage children to read, access information, and make healthy choices in life. Designed to integrate technology and free voluntary reading for grades K-6th, EBL students receive $2 for each book they master through Accelerated Reader computerized reading software. Students can earn up to $40.00 each session. Thousands of children participate in 64 Dallas ISD schools. Harvard University is currently conducting a research study on Earning by Learning. For more information on Earning by Learning of Dallas visit www.eblofdallas.org   Today Marks the Beginning (TMtB) is a committed group of artistic individuals who share the belief in the transformative power of art to bring people and communities together. Artistic expression is essential to help create a dynamic and vibrant society.  Today Marks the Beginning's mission is to impact public awareness of social issues. Innovative projects join with creative talents to help bring about unifying and compassionate solutions. www.todaymarksthebeginning.orgLou Michaels 469-438-6640 michaels@talentdynamics.com   Thelma Morris - Lindsey 214-442-1620 tlindsey@eblofdallas.org   2008-09-12T15:53:45Z 4

2008-04-25

Earning by Learning of Dallas presents 8th Annual "Reading the Garden"/ Press Release

2008-09-12T16:11:38Z

The interactive public artwork, STATIONS, will make its Dallas debut September 6 – 7 and then move directly to NY City for the inaugural gala of the Desmond Tutu Education Center.  STATIONS will then continue touring U.S., Europe and Africa with the play, “Truth in Translation”, which centers on the translators who participated in the truth and reconciliation process in South Africa. Karen Blessen, artist and founder of the non-profit arts organization TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING, and current President Diane Hosey contacted Dallas artist Nancy Rebal to discuss the idea of a traveling interactive artwork that would accompany Michael Lessac’s play, “Truth in Translation” on its world tour.  An artistic collaboration grew bringing in other Dallas artists Tim Coursey and David Searcy plus James Neel.  The collaboration conceived a graffiti wall which was later expanded and renamed, STATIONS: An Interactive Public Artwork. Six stark panels 7’ tall x 3’ wide of gray sheet metal are hinged together into a wall.  Following the theatrical performance of “Truth in Translation” audience members may speak words of a personal forgiveness into one of six “stations” to be electronically recorded. The murmur of the previously collected voices washes over the individual and then the newer voices will float on the surface for a short time before losing their separateness.  At the same time, STATIONS is a surface for writing.  The smooth sheet metal walls in which the microphones are imbedded serve a second interactive purpose.  Clusters of permanent markers hang from cords on each panel.  Visitors are asked to write their reactions and intentions regarding forgiveness.  As these ‘graffito’ are accumulated, they will become a visual equivalent to the sound. Contact Lou Michaels, 469-438-6640 for interviews, photo and video opportunities in Dallas.  Websites: www.todaymarksthebeginning.org  www.embreyfdn.org 2008-09-12T15:56:27Z 5

2007-09-06

STATIONS: An Interactive Public Artwork/ Press Release

2008-09-12T16:12:19Z

A creative collaboration of artists from Dallas, New York and South Africa continues to inspire people around the world.  The interactive public artwork, “STATIONS”, created by a team of Dallas artists, is currently on a U.S tour before heading onto Europe and Africa. The collaboration began with Karen Blessen, artist and founder of the non-profit arts organization TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING, and current President Diane Hosey contacting Dallas artist, Nancy Rebal about the idea of an interactive artwork to accompany the play, “Truth in Translation”.  Nancy Rebal worked with Dallas artists Tim Coursey and David Searcy plus sound designer James Neel to design and build “STATIONS”.  The artwork serves as a testament to the power of the truth and reconciliation process in South Africa reflected in the play and in our lives.Following the theatrical performance of “Truth in Translation” audience members may speak into one of six “stations” and write their personal intentions of forgiveness.  Their words are electronically recorded and blend with the murmur of the previously collected voices. The smooth sheet metal walls serve a second interactive purpose.  People are asked to write their reactions and intentions regarding forgiveness.  At the end of the tour, will be the release of the new sound, the greater voice of forgiveness, into the open air of the world. TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING utilizes art to teach peace and explore social issues. www.todaymarksthebeginning.com Contact:  Lou Michaels  469.438.6640  michaels@talentdynamics.com 2008-09-12T15:58:50Z 6

2008-09-12

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Wall of Forgiveness: STATIONS/ Press Release

2008-09-12T16:13:03Z

By MICHAEL J. MOONEY / The Dallas Morning News mmooney@dallasnews.com A fourth-grade girl at a Richardson school drew two men shooting each other, their gunfire yellow and bright orange. Below the picture, she wrote: "Is this our idea of peace?" She was among more than 1,000 Dallas-area schoolchildren who drew images and created collages of what peace means to them. They did it with the help of the local nonprofit group Today Marks the Beginning, which is dedicated to promoting peace through the creative process. The children's artwork will be displayed at the third International Women's Peace Conference this week at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Dallas. "The depth of the art really touched me," said Diane Hosey, the group's president. "And the simplicity of it. This is a big, bright, beautiful, colorful reminder of what a peace conference is all about." Asked to imagine peaceful settings and situations, the children drew beaches, rainy nights, their bedrooms, and even Starbucks. Some drew their families embracing. Others said peace was when the police come around. One girl put together an elaborate peace sign mosaic from scraps of blue and green construction paper. One girl who came to Dallas from Iraq drew a river flowing past trees and flowers. Another student drew himself under his kitchen table. He said that was where he felt the most peaceful. "We just gave them quick prompts, provided all the supplies, and let them go," said Lou Michaels, a board member of Today Marks the Beginning. "The things these kids said and drew are unbelievable." Today Marks the Beginning was founded in 2005 and has nine board members. The name of the group came from a meeting co-founder Karen Blessen had with a village elder in Malawi in Africa. The woman told Ms. Blessen: "Today marks the beginning of a relationship between you and me." <div class="dwssubhead"> Remember the future </div> The idea for the children's art project came when Ms. Blessen, a professional artist and contributor to The Dallas Morning News, read a Christmas Eve newspaper column. The piece suggested that negotiations around the globe would improve if they were left to grandparents brandishing pictures of their grandchildren. The pictures would remind them of the future – the reason peace is so important. The group approached schools with the peace art idea. "It's such a cliché, but it's true – the children are the future," Ms. Blessen said. "While the children can't be there [at the peace conference] to speak, they will be there through their art." Dr. Karen Bembry, who has a doctorate in education, worked on the curriculum for the project. The group asked classrooms: "When is the last time you felt peaceful?" "You get a more sophisticated, complex response from a middle-schooler than an elementary student," she said. "You can really see the thought process for all of them, though." The program fit right in with many schools working to combat bullying through mediation and discussion, Dr. Bembry said. Peace awareness is important – "openly speaking about it, making it concrete that a pet or place can make you peaceful," she said. "We can all find peace in our lives." Recently, Ms. Michaels brought the art project to Bea's Kids, a summer day camp for children from low-income families. She asked what words they thought of when they hear "peace." The children's answers made the adults in the room laugh and smile. "The '70s," one said. "Friendship," said another. "Silence." "Calm." "No more shooting." Then Ms. Michaels asked when the students felt peaceful. "In church." "Playing soccer." "In the restroom." Ms. Hosey, a learning and development consultant, and Ms. Michaels invited the children up in groups of six or seven to take art supplies. They used yarn, paste, markers, scissors, glitter, magazines and shreds of wrapping paper. Within minutes, they began to sketch ideas. Second-grader Angel Montenegro used pink string to spell out "NO MORE WAR." Alejandro Uresti drew a dog that was smiling and drooling. "Some people are cruel to dogs," Alejandro said. "I want world peace for dogs." Carlos Saavedra drew an eagle carrying a tree branch. "I want people's troubles to go away," he said. "For people to be calm. I'm calm when I think of birds." Ms. Michaels grabbed her chest and gasped when she saw Jesus Montenegro's picture. He had drawn a man climbing a fence. On the other side was another man waiting with a picnic basket and a blanket. "He is crossing the fence to America," Jesus said. "This just kills me," Ms. Michaels said. She put her arm around Jesus. "This is beautiful." As the time allotted for the art came to an end, Jesus wasn't done coloring in the fence and the grass. Another boy, Alex Ayala, grabbed a green crayon and began coloring with him. "This is what this is all about," Ms. Hosey said. "One thing leads to another. That's how activism happens." <div class="dwssubhead"> A matter of view </div> She said the project and the conference are not necessarily about the war in Iraq, but about peace in all areas of life. "It can be very political, but when you do it through art, you tap into a whole different way of expressing how children view the world." Today Marks the Beginning board members went to schools all over the socio-economic map. They went to Highland Park, where students created their art on computers and printed them out. Erin Duffy, a board member and former fifth-grade teacher, worked with refugee children in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood. Many children grew up in refugee camps in Sierra Leone, Burundi, Bosnia and Afghanistan. "War is the only life a lot of these kids have known," Ms. Duffy said. "But they know what peace is. They know what it could look like in our world. They can imagine it and articulate it. It blows me away." Leah Sapp is the art teacher at Robert G. Hill Middle School in Dallas. About 80 of her seventh- and eighth-graders worked on the project. She said even the students who ordinarily struggle with art had meaningful experiences. "We had a couple kids who were dealing with gang issues," she said. "I saw a lot of that in the work, bringing gang colors together. These are issues a lot of these kids deal with everyday. They may not be able to see past where they are, but they could see where they are now." Children working on the project took many things from the experience, Ms. Hosey said. Inspiration. Encouragement. A chance to express their thoughts. The adults involved with the project took away something else: hope.  Permalink to Dallas Morning News:  <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/070807dnentpeaceart.3960a38.html">http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/070807dnentpeaceart.3960a38.html</a> 2008-09-12T16:10:27Z 7

2007-07-08

Dallas Morning News / Schoolchildren illustrate what peace means to them/ Press Release

2008-09-19T02:55:57Z

By KAREN BLESSEN / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News kblessen@karenblessen.comWe're all a contagion, right? Every day, our words and actions touch the lives of others in ways that we can't gauge. Some people spread fear, doubt and anxiety. They may trigger our impulse to quake right along with them. Another person flashes a smile or speaks a word of encouragement, spreading joy and confidence. We have a decision to make: What kind of contagion do we want to be? We have different gifts – different tools to communicate. One person may have the gift of gab, and that gift can be a tool for reconciliation or for malice. Another is a talented athlete, whose gift may instruct us in the exhilaration of personal excellence. Or it could morph into an example of selfish domination. My gift has been a lifetime of expressing myself in my art and writing. Art is joyful. Art is creation. Art is serious business. In 2002, the impact of the arts in Dallas was about $513.8 million, according to a 2003 economic impact study by Deloitte & Touche. Witness rock stars like Bono, the Beatles or the Police, and you know that art is more than entertainment. Art opens us up in unexpected ways. People flock to art museums, the theater and cinema houses to be lifted out of their worries and taken to a higher place. Sadly, there are those who have understood this only too well, and have attempted to pervert or squelch the uniting power of art. Hitler enlisted artists to whip public emotion into a froth of hatred. During the era of slavery in the U.S., music was a saving grace for those enslaved. Some slave owners got nervous about the power of the drum and took the drums away. So slaves beat the rhythm with pots and pans. •I've been fortunate in my career and have had many extraordinary opportunities, including interviewing, photographing and creating art about people affected by AIDS in Africa. One project led to another. In 2005, I co-founded Today Marks the Beginning, which helps artists create and fund their own projects. Peace-making was in play when teams from Today Marks the Beginning went in to Dallas schools to encourage local children to create art about their "Vision of Peace." We showed the children some examples of art. We talked about how to make collages. We asked for synonyms for the word "peace." We asked how they could make peace in their lives, and when they felt most peaceful. Their answers varied. Some were poignant, others funny, or heartbreaking. Then we showed the students the colorful supplies we brought for them. We asked them each to make a piece of art about their vision of peace. We rarely had to coax a concept out of the children. The gentle act of encouraging a child to confidently tap into their creative power is a profound seed of peace that we hope will take. • Do you think it's possible to rewrite history in a way that doesn't mark time by the battles, the conflicts and cruelties we've indulged in? Cynicism is a phase. Let's snap out of it, before it becomes character, because that would be a hopeless dead-end. Maybe there's a world that we can all help create – a sustainable world – that flips the paradigm and strips all glamour from making war, and bit by bit, takes us to a tipping point to peace. Art is one instrument to get there. Peace is possible. And then we'll have contagious grace – an uncontainable outbreak of radiance.   Karen Blessen, a Dallas artist, is a former staff member of The Dallas Morning News.  2008-09-12T16:24:30Z 8

2007-07-08

It's hard to deny the power of art

2008-09-19T02:56:41Z

1,000 from across the globe to gather in Dallas to talk strategy By JAMES HOHMANN / The Dallas Morning News jhohmann@dallasnews.com Banning land mines, fighting exploitation of women and halting the trafficking of children are all interconnected and key elements in the ongoing struggle for world peace. Coming up with action plans to fight against these and a host of other issues is the goal for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Betty Williams and 1,000 women from 43 countries who will be in Dallas this week for the International Women's Peace Conference. "Wonderful organizations all over the world are doing great things," said Ms. Williams. "But it's never enough. It's just like we're putting a little Band-Aid on a big weeping wound." Ms. Williams, who won the Nobel Prize in 1976 for creating a group that helped start peace talks in Northern Ireland, said that the world could learn a great deal from the compromises that brought Protestants and Catholics together in her country. "We didn't sweep the problem under the rug. You have to take every problem – economic, social and cultural – and tackle it head on," she said, speaking by phone Friday from her home in Ireland. "I have a difficulty keeping my nonviolence in mind. When I see children dying, my natural reaction is to want to shoot someone that does that to a child. But I have to turn that around and use that anger for good and not for evil." She plans to also talk about the growing number of refugees, the continuing imprisonment of fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi by a military junta in Myanmar and the importance of protecting the environment. For Jody Williams, the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner, "peace takes hard work every day." "Peace is not just the absence of armed conflict," she said. "It is a world in which basic needs of the majority of the planet are met." "Violence is a choice," she said. "Let's stop pretending it isn't and learn to make different choices." Jody Williams received her prize for championing a U.N. treaty that restricted the use of land mines. Now she is writing two books, lobbying against cluster bombs and speaking out about what she says is genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Conference organizers say that no one has been invited to speak about the war in Iraq and that the conference – with its theme "Empowering Peacemakers" – is not a protest against the continuing American occupation. "We're pro-peace. We're not anti-war," said Carol Donovan, a Dallas lawyer who is chairing the conference. "We feel like it's a waste of time to concentrate on anti-war." But both Betty Williams and Jody Williams say it is certain to be a focal point of discussion, though they weren't invited to talk about their thoughts on Iraq. "It's going to take 1,000 years to fix," said Betty Williams. "I would be closing my eyes to a huge problem if I overlooked it. One has to face the issues head on. I'm not going to America to be popular. I'm going to be honest and truthful." Jody Williams says she gets upset when peace activists get stereotyped as weak, or as she puts it, in the image of "the dove and the rainbow." Those pushing for peace are confronting deeply entrenched institutions, she said, and speaking truth to power takes courage. "Those who work for a world of socio-economic justice are not wimps," she said. "All the work we do for less violence is contributing to human security." Presentations at the conference, which runs from Tuesday through Sunday, will be devoted to broad issues like power, tolerance and violence. Planners hope networking will produce fresh ideas for how to continue battling racism and sexism. "The grassroots people know best what is going on in their worlds," said Vivian Castleberry, the founder of event sponsor Peacemakers Inc. and honorary conference chairwoman. "Too often our smug American ideas lead us to think that we have the best answers to everything, and we don't." It is the third time in 20 years that the nonprofit Peacemakers Inc. has sponsored a conference in Dallas. The first, held in 1988 at Southern Methodist University, brought more than 2,000 women from 57 countries. This time, about one-third of the delegates are expected to hail from the Dallas area, and more than half will be American. The conference wants participants to think critically about the issues addressed by the speakers. A series of discussions are intended to help women form achievable goals on contentious issues like globalization and the environment. "We're telling them that it's a cop out if you come up with items that their elected official should do," said Ms. Donovan, the conference organizer. "They need to put together a plan of action where they can actually do something." <div style="clear: right; width: 100%"> <a style="padding-bottom: 3px; padding-top: 3px" class="bilabel">NOTABLE SPEAKERS</a> </div> Women speaking at this week's conference include: Rigoberta Menchú Tum: She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for speaking out against the civil war in her home country of Guatemala. She is running for president in Guatemala and will take time off from campaigning to speak in Dallas. Betty Williams: Founded an influential group that sued for peace in Northern Ireland. The 1976 Nobel Peace Prize recipient has been a harsh critic of the war in Iraq and thinks the United States could learn important lessons from the cooperation between Protestants and Catholics in her home country. Jody Williams: Founded the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which successfully lobbied for a 1997 treaty that did away with the use of land mines. Ms. Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for the effort and is pushing for bans on cluster bombs and a more vocal international outcry to rights abuses in Sudan and Myanmar. For more information: The third International Women's Peace Conference will take place at the Adam's Mark Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas. The six-day convention starts Tuesday. For a schedule of events, call 214-421-6707 or visit womenspeaceconference.org. SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research  2008-09-12T16:39:34Z 9

2007-07-08

Female activists on mission for peace / Dallas Morning News

2008-09-19T02:57:13Z

<div>      Today Marks the Beginning is adding the popular MasterPEACE curriculum to Big Thought’s after school programs in three DISD schools, beginning today, through December 2008 and January 2009.</div> <div>        MasterPEACE is a series of classroom workshops that teaches middle-school kids how to use personal creative expression to solve problems.  MasterPEACE connects global crises like war and human rights to their more immediate struggles like emotional control, bullying, gangs, and cheating.  The curriculum gives kids tools they need to help “keep the peace” in their own turbulent lives.   The curriculum is adapted from the " Peace One Day Citizen Resource Pack" currently used successfully in the United Kingdom.     Each session uses a different form of creative expression—visual art, theatrical performance, writing, for example—to drive the lessons.  The arts can serve as a link for communication, which is crucial in how a child relates to society.   The sessions include lessons in: </div><div> ·               Great Peacemakers Like You and Me</div> <div> ·               Creating a Personal Place of Peace at Home</div> <div> ·               Rewriting the Story: Tools to Stop Bullying</div> <div> ·               Making a Commitment to Your Vision of Peace </div> <div> Our Mission</div> <div> Today Marks the Beginning (TMtB) uses art to impact public awareness of social issues.   Innovative projects join with creative talents to bring about unifying and compassionate solutions. </div> <div> Who We Are</div> <div> Today Marks the Beginning is a group of creative people who believe in the power of art to transform lives and enrich communities. TMtB is a non-profit arts organization that initiates and facilitates a diverse range of projects. </div> <div> What We Do</div> <div> Today Marks the Beginning partners with foundations, schools, and other organizations to promote community interaction and help make a positive difference in the lives of all people though creative expression.</div> <div> <a href="http://www.todaymarksthebeginning.org/" title="http://www.todaymarksthebeginning.org/">www.todaymarksthebeginning.org</a></div> XXXXXXXXXX  2008-12-02T18:20:22Z 10

201

2008-12-01

MY KID CAN BE ALL THAT

2008-12-02T18:38:22Z

2009-01-20

Stations Two

2009-01-20T15:21:29Z

******FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***** March 22, 2009   J. Erik Jonsson Dallas Central Library exhibits DIAMONDS from DUST: 152 portraits of Great Peacemakers, created by young artists in the MasterPEACE program of Today Marks the Beginning.   Dallas, TX - Students in two Dallas elementary schools and three afterschool programs created collage portraits of global peacemakers, resulting in this inspiring exhibit. The students were all participants in the MasterPEACE program of Today Marks the Beginning. The exhibit also includes 12 photographs by Dallas photographer John Katz, who captured the process.   Participating schools were Parish Episcopal and L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary. The three afterschool programs were at Whitney Young Elementary; J.L. Long Middle School and S.S. Conner Elementary. These afterschool lessons were done in conjunction with the Thriving Minds program of Big Thought.   The curriculum of MasterPEACE: Young Artists Making a Kinder World, focuses on combining peacemaking skills of non-violence with art experiences for the children. The particular lesson that inspired these portraits is titled "Great Peacemakers Like You and Me."  The children were asked to make something out of nothing, just like these heroes who tackled extremely difficult situations.  In the portraits, a bottle top could become an eye. A straw could become a nose; a piece of discarded jewelry, a hat. A special reception will be held March 26, 10 am – noon.  All are invited. Free.             Where: J. Erik Jonsson Central Library 1515 Young St. 75201, exhibited in 2nd Floor, Kahn Pavilion, 3rd Floor, Northwall, 4th Floor, Northwall and Showcases   When: Peacemakers Portrait Exhibit March through April 2009. Free.               Contact: Lou Michaels, 469-438-6640   <a href="mailto:michaels@talentdynamics.com">michaels@talentdynamics.com</a>   Karen Blessen, 214-827-3257 <a href="mailto:kblessen@todaymarksthebeginning.org">kblessen@todaymarksthebeginning.org</a> <a href="mailto:kblessen@sbcglobal.net">kblessen@sbcglobal.net</a>   John Katz, 214-637-0844 <a href="mailto:j@johnkatz.net">j@johnkatz.net</a>   Mission: Today Marks the Beginning uses art to impact public awareness of social issues. Innovative projects join with creative talents to help bring about unifying and compassionate solutions.   <a href="http://www.todaymarksthebeginning.org/">www.todaymarksthebeginning.org</a> xxxxx   2009-03-23T14:25:44Z 12

321

2009-03-23

Downtown Dallas Library MasterPEACE Exhibit

2009-03-23T14:28:27Z

2009-06-02

MasterPEACE Art Show and Benefit

2009-06-02T14:15:47Z

<h2>KAREN BLESSENDallas Artist, Pulitzer Prize Winner and co-founder of Today Marks the Beginning to do Artist’s Residency  WHO - This is an intensive ARTIST residency for one class at L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary and for one class at Charles Rice Learning Center.  WHAT: The intent of the project is to teach children how one person can make a difference, the focus being on the situation in Darfur, in the Sudan.  WHY:  The children will do our Great Peacemakers Like You and Me lesson, followed by a presentation by the Art for Darfur folks - to give the kids an understanding of the situation in Darfur, then four days for the children to do a project titled "If I were a Great Peacemaker."   HOW:  artist Karen Blessen, "You've learned about how Great Peacemakers have made a difference. They were one person, and they helped many people. If you were a great peacemaker, what would you do to help the people of Darfur?" The art project itself will be a 16 in. x 20 shadow box - with 3 dimensional elements combined with writing. WHEN: Now through January 22.   WHERE:  The residency will culminate with a show of the kids’ art at the Doolin Gallery at SMU, and a field trip for all 50+ kids to SMU. Then their art will move to a gallery at Charles Rice Learning Center, and then to the South Dallas Cultural Center. Finally to the big event at SMU for Art for Darfur, in April! Contact:  Lou Michaels   <a href="mailto:loumichaels1@gmail.com">loumichaels1@gmail.com</a>Today Marks the Beginning 469-438-6640  </h2> 2010-01-06T20:31:19Z 14

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2010-01-06

TMtB, Big Thought & Art for Darfur

2010-01-06T20:39:12Z