Dear Friends,
In a very emotional and energizing gathering at the
German House on UN Plaza, Consul General of Germany Dr. Horst Freitag greeted
over 100 guests that came from around the world for The Armory Show in support
of CITYarts' exhibition Pieces for Peace.
"Yes, we can," he said, echoing President Obama's message of hope, "give our
kids the chance to express themselves in painting that hopefully will turn into
the reality of peace." He then gave the stage to the German Ambassador to the
UN Thomas Matussek, who praised CITYarts for its hard work for peace, and
praised his fellow colleagues, UN Ambassadors who were standing with him in
support of CITYarts' Pieces for Peace
exhibition. He gave a brief but impressive record of each of the Ambassadors of
Madagascar, Iceland, Brazil, Malta, and Israel, and also praised the
Ambassadors of Qatar, Egypt, and Russia, who supported the project but couldn't
be present.
As the guests listened to Ambassador Matussek's UN-like
speech, his resonant voice emphasized that, "We need to do everything
possible to give our children a world they can be proud of." He looked at the Pieces for Peace paintings hanging on
the wall, speaking strongly of the different colors and designs from the
2,500
children who had already participated in the project from 26 countries on 6
continents. He praised CITYarts and the initiative of courage as he passed the
microphone to me. After seven years of watching the Pieces for Peace project grow, it was exciting for me to be able to stand with these Ambassadors for Peace and speak about the project I had started under our Young Minds Build Bridges program after the events of September 11th.
"I thank them on behalf of the citizens of the world for working hard to celebrate a better place. Also, their being here, as well as all the guests who attended tonight, is a testament to the importance of these young voices for peace. Furthermore, for
our children, it's extremely meaningful to know that their voices and wishes
count. Only in this way will they be able to hold hands across borders in
support of each other. I truly believe that when kids create together, they do
not destroy."
As I handed each of the Ambassadors a framed Pieces for Peace artwork, the UN
Ambassador of Israel Gabriela Shalev read the lines written on the artwork
created by Natali from Israel. The painting was of an old dove pushing
a walker with one wheel depicting the flag of Israel and the other the flag of
Palestine. Ambassador Shalev read the words on the painting: "Although she is
old, she still has hope."
The UN Ambassador of Madagascar H.E.
Mr. Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy turned to another piece on the wall by Yori and requested a photo of the piece so he could send it to newspapers in Madagascar for the public to see, and also to hang in
his office. "I want the people of my country to understand that this is what they are
doing to their country," he said. The picture is of a house colored like a
blue and green globe with people from various ethnicities looking out the
windows. The text reads, "Why burn down the house we all live in?"
We recently heard that a civil war is about to erupt in Madagascar. Let's hope that the young voices
of peace will be heard, and make a difference on a global stage.
Best,
Tsipi Ben-Haim,
Executive and Artistic Director
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Board of Directors
Carrie H. Cohen, Chairperson
Kate Gehring, Secretary
Helene Saren
Lawrence
Amnon Bar-Tur
Vera Sung
Helene Feldman
Bernadette Longford
Tsipi Ben-Haim,
Executive & Artistic Director
Board of Advisors
Sam August
Anna Carbonell
Deborah Dugan
Robert Fisher
Alex Gorlin
Katie Hollander
Stephanie Holmquist
Gisela Keller
Charlotta Kotik
Nina & Daniel Libeskind
Miranda McClintic
Laura Miller
Dr. Lewis Peach
Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn
Lois Vaisman
Sandy Gonzalez Wilson
Irwin Shlachter
Staff
Tsipi Ben-Haim,
Executive and Artistic Director
Kim Llerena,
Assistant to the Director
Marc Maffei,
Project Coordinator
Jordan Taler,
Creative Coordinator
Interns
Leona Deckelbaum
Nicole Costantini
Asli Ersoy
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Thinking globally and acting locally,
CITYarts' projects build bridges of cultural understanding and give
youth the opportunity to take an active role in shaping their future.
The Young Minds Build Bridges program connects our youth in New York to the international
community, spreading their voices in a quest for peace and raising awareness of global warming.
Our projects give youth a stage to ask, "What
can I do to reduce the speed of global warming?" Our teens are taking
the future into their own hands, getting actively involved in their
communities, and assuming responsibility through the creation of murals
and mosaics with CITYarts.
Since 1968, CITYarts has created 272 projects that have
transformed communities and impacted over 100,000 kids, collaborated
with more than 500 artists, and partnered with over 300,000 volunteers
in the process.
Thank you in advance for your generous support and for
joining CITYarts in celebrating 40 years of "Making a Difference
Through the Arts." |
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