United for Peace / Portrait Party / September 20th

Portraits for Peace

A Community Art Project Promoting Nonviolence in New Orleans

United for Peace in New Orleans is organizing a massive art project, speaking out against violence with poetry, music and visual art. We would like to invite all of our friends and supporters to participate in this important event.

QUOTE: "On Saturday, September 20th, from 12pm until 6pm, United for Peace in New Orleans in collaboration with NOLA Rising and Recycle for the Arts will host Portraits for Peace. Artist from the surrounding community are invited to paint a portrait of a victim of violence who has been lost since the Storm. The portraits will be used for a ‘Peace Pilgrimage’ on November 1st (Dia de los Muertos) where the families will walk with the portraits in hand around the city that day. Poets are invited as well to paint poetry on signs in commemoration of those lost New Orleanians whose picture we did not obtain from the family or the paper." UNQUOTE

The march needs visual artists to donate their talent and create portraits of the victims. These portraits will be carried during the march as a memorial to those who have been lost. After the march the portraits will be displayed in an art show and finally given to the families of the victims.

There are no restrictions in regards to media but Recycle for The Arts would like to encourage everyone to use recycled materials to complete their piece. If you are interested in completing a piece please do so and contact receive an image and information about a victim please contact Charles at
chuckoanderson25 @ yahoo.com or (908) 328-7956 with any questions you may have about the march or other ways that you can help.

Guidelines:

18 inches by 18inches might be a good size restrictions. .. remember people will be walking down the street with these.
Please include the person's name and day of death on the back
Please include the victim's name on the front as well.
Please no street names or nicknames.
The medium and the kind of paint is up to the artist as United for Peace will be taking photographs of the paintings and making copies for people to hold down the street as well.
Please have your portrait completed by Sept 20th.

We will have a portrait party Sept. 20th from noon until dark at Press St. and Dauphine (XO Press). The rain date will be September 21st.

Since Katrina New Orleans has lost over 500 of our neighbors, friends and community members to violent crime. United for Peace is organizing a march for peace on November 1 starting at the monument of Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Claiborne Avenue.

Our mission is to assert the dignity and worth of all 500 New Orleanians murdered since the Storm. If we can unite for this march, we will create the energy and power needed for our individual projects to grow. The artist of the world have always been the ones to change the consciousness of their community, so let us come together for our community on this day.

United for Peace in New Orleans is a coalition of concerned citizens using nonviolent methods to build peace in New Orleans.

NoLA Rising Honors Art Teacher Beverly Cook from McMain High School, New Orleans

As many of y'all may have noted, Rex has been busy with many things lately. While he believes that New Orleans has many serious issues at hand, he's asked me to write up a spot of good news from our event this past weekend in hopes to give New Orleans something positive to read.



On Saturday, at Cafe Brazil, NoLA Rising held an art bazaar of sorts with the pieces created at the last two paint parties. The first at XO Studios and the second at Dragon's Den with Section 8 magazine. Over 150 pieces of artwork were created of various skill level with the intention of selling off the pieces to raise money for one lucky Orleans Parish art teacher. Only 40 pieces of artwork ended up selling, the remainder of which will be saved for a pending Toys-for-Tots paint party coming this fall.



On Sunday, Rex and Angela (recently returned from her European sojourn) used the money raised to purchase a $300 gift certificate at local art store National Art and Hobby located on Magazine Street. National offers teacher discounts which will help spread the gift a little further. NoLA Rising, shortly thereafter, delivered the fine-looking, color-it-yourself, certificate to Mrs. Cook's house much to her surprise.



Mrs. Cook was chosen because of her dedication to her students and their work, her passion for art, and her love for the city. Rex therefore sends an official salut to Beverly Cook for her service as a dedicated art teacher!