The Vision and Intention of this creative journey, as we introduce the “Only Hearts” Art/Peace Project to students in Chungju, South Korea and elsewhere, is to continue sharing with larger audiences, our “Only Hearts” Art Piece Project, first undertaken by 3,500 insightful Sarasota, Florida students for the millennium; to encourage community performance scores on peacemaking and conciliation and, via the Internet, encourage students, educators, and parents to download the project templates and instructions so as to facilitate/enact scores that are powerful learning experience. the “Only Hearts” Art/Peace Project invites students of varying ages to share their views on peacemaking and the vision they hold for the world.
The Goal of our Project is to encourage young artists to express what a world of peace, cross-cultural harmony, and safety means to them. A first action step is to gather a small creative team to initiate the “Only Hearts” project. A next step is to identify and articulate the positive themes around which your project is to be structured; discovering empowering and funfilled ways participants can express their valuable insights and ideas.
A Cornerstone of this new phase of “Only Hearts” is to reconnect with many of the original 3,500 participants, now seventeen years older, and to elicit there participation as torch bearers (so to speak), by catalyzing a “Hearts Around the World” aspect to this project that brings together the Art and the Vision of Peace of children from many cultures around the globe in a creatively and expansive forum.
And the community joined in: The “Heart Art” of over a thousand Sarasota, FL students defined this performance arena. Included in the many “Only Hearts” presentations were music, poetry, and skits about world peace, Many in our community participated in the Dances of Universal Peace pictured on the right. One of the insightful students wrote the following on the back of her heart drawing:
Trees gently rocking in the gentle breeze instead of interminable rows of buildings and skyscrapers. Waters, crystal clear that laugh as the rays of the sun dance upon the surface instead of waters that are filled with thoughtless disasters. Voices that are pure and make a difference instead of living in a world of procrastination. Laughter and singing instead of tears of profanity. Fingers that make music instead of fingers that point. Mouths that smile in satisfaction instead of mouths that sneer in disapproval. Love instead of hate. Believing in what it all will be instead of what it all could be. —Katie McDuffie Age 13
