By Angela Valente Romeo
The UN International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world each year on September. 21st. It is a day devoted to fostering the ideals of peace among all nations and all peoples. The theme of the 2015 Peace Day is “Partnerships for Peace — Dignity for All.” Participation in Peace Day is as simple as a kind word to a stranger, volunteering at a school or participating in a larger community event.
In anticipation of Peace Day the Palm Springs Art Museum will host a special event on Sunday, September 13th from 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The event is free to the public. Unity Foundation and The Art Miles Mural Project are producing the event. Unity Foundation (www.unityfoundation.org) has a 40-year history of promoting peace, cooperation and unity throughout the world. The Art Miles Mural Project (www.artmiles.org) is an organization that has created more than 4,000 murals around the world.
The event will showcase films from The International Mural Art and Global Film Festival. The films were created by youth from around the world using the themes of peace and sustainability. The Art Miles Mural Project, the Peace Day Global Broadcast, and the Peace in the Streets Global Film Festival, KidFlix Global and the Tigerman Bully Prevention Campaign produced these films. The event will also include the creation of an interactive environmental mural by the Museum’s Art Camp students. The mural will be presented at the UN.
The Unity Foundation has its roots in Palm Springs. It was created by Palm Springs resident Bill McCarthy. In 1975 he had a dream to bring together the political, spiritual, environmental and community organizations in San Francisco in a festival of Unity. The success of that festival was the beginning of the 40-year history of Unity Foundation. To date more than 1 million people have attended special events produced by Unity Foundation.
Unity has organized international media campaigns promoting Peace in Bosnia, A Program Providing Computers to Students in South Africa, The Americas Before Columbus Project Celebrating the History, Culture and Accomplishments of the Native Peoples of the Americas, and The United Peoples Assembly promoting the creation of a People’s Parliamentary Assembly at the United Nations. The foundation’s media campaigns have reached more than 500 million people globally.
“The mural project is exciting,” said Bill McCarthy, “because Art is universal. Most people can relate to one of the art forms – music, dance, and painting. Art is not bound by any one language. To bring the mural project to the Museum’s Art Camp allows our children to be a part of a global quest for peace and respect throughout the world. We hope that many will join us. The films are special as they show the world through the eyes of a child. What they see and what they show us is mesmerizing.”
What does Bill hope that public will learn from the event? “I hope people will see the promise of our young people captured forever in the art they create. If we teach them peace is attainable, that will be reflected in the optimism of their art. We are one unified by a desire for peace and acceptance.”
