Aurora participates in international Pinwheels For Peace
Imagine ... "Whirled Peace"
In today's world, peace needs to become more than just a word. During the week of September 21, in the Art Room at Aurora School, takes part in an International art and literacy project, Pinwheels for Peace by "planting" pinwheels with messages of peace in front of the school.
Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan of Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for students to express their feelings about what's going on in the world and in their lives. In the first year, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on September 21st - there were approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning throughout the world. Last year (year 3), 2007, over 1.2 million pinwheels were spinning in over 2,500 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
This project is non-political - peace doesn't necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war, it can be related to violence/intolerance in our daily lives, to peace of mind. To each of us, peace can take on a different meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: "a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people."
In the Aurora Art Room students will create pinwheels - as part of the creation process, the students will write their thoughts about "war and peace / tolerance/ living in harmony with others" on one side. On the other side, they will draw, paint, collage, etc. to visually express their feelings. The students will assemble these pinwheels and in honor of International Day of Peace, officially designated to be on September 21, they will "plant" their pinwheels around the school as a public statement and art exhibit/installation.
So keep a lookout for the pinwheels - the spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country and the world!
For more information, go to www.pinwheelsforpeace.com