Maureen Bennett O'Connor
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Healing, One Brushstroke at a
Time: "Peace by Piece" allows people to combine ideas of peace with
self-expression
While Bennett O'Connor took part in many community-building activities in the aftermath of 9/11-producing "Gratitude," a book thanking New York City firefighters, with letters and drawings from more than 300 people; running creative workshops in the South Bronx so people could express their grief and fear; and attending countless fundraisers and prayer services-one activity particularly close to her heart has picked up momentum of its own: "Peace by Piece," a traveling art exhibit that helps people combine ideas of peace with self-expression. The aim of the project, which Bennett O'Connor undertook as part of a Landmark program, "is to awaken a compassionate heart in all who view it and participate in it," she says. "Most of the people who have participated did not even know they had a voice." Composed of more than 200 pieces of
stretched canvas, "Peace by Piece" employs all sorts of mediums to express
peace, from writing and painting to photography, collage, and embroidery. One
firefighter who lost a few friends to 9/11 even burnt a few holes in his piece
of canvas to symbolize his loss. The project will expand indefinitely as other
people design and send in individual expressions of peace. |
