No War, Peace!

Three more statements about war and peace from artist Judy Johnson-Williams. Thank you Judy, and keep them coming!

Where the Mountains Still Burn

Two beautiful cards from Lauren Johnson-Williams of Half Moon Bay, CA. The top card is a "tourist" card with the words "Welcome to Where the Mountains Still Burn" depicting a domed nuclear reactor and burning mountains. Thank you Lauren, for these cards.

Mook wat!

From German postcrosser "Ingo." He explains that "mook wat!" means "Do Something!" in low German. Thanks for your statement Ingo!

One or One Million: Murder is Murder

A fabulous card from Penny McElroy of Redlands, CA. This mixed media card includes glass-tipped needles. Amazing that the mailman delivered!

Peace Cards from Prescott School

Thanks to the students of Prescott School in Oakland, CA for sending these wonderful cards about promoting peace and saying no to weapons.

Three from Judy

Three more cards arrived from NCWCA artist Judy Johnson Williams of Oakland, CA. These sketches make the case for peace/against violence.

Calm Series

I made these in the hopes of calm and peace.

Nuclear Reactions #2

Here's another one I made on the scary leader theme.

Nuclear Reactions #1

I made a series of fabric/mixed media cards about three scary folks. Here are two of them.

Tasty Devastation

San Francisco artist Antonio Torrez-Solis writes, "The world's almost blind consumption of weapons bursts its belly. Ever hungry, the puppetmaster feeds the beast." Thanks for a provocative card, Antonio!

Love Bomb

Lindsay Brenner sent this heart-filled bomb card from Creve Coeur, MO.

No War

Fluxus mail artist Keith A. Buchholz sent this card from St. Louis, MO

Debate

An anonymous person sent this postcard from Oakland, California.

Three More Peace Cards!

NCWCA artist Gretchen Blais of Richmond, California sent three more "only one there only peace" cards. Thanks Gretchen for these lovely collages!

Sparks

A sinister sparkle-headed collage postcard from San Francisco artist Stephen C. Wagner. Thanks Stephen for your dark vision!

Dialog Not War!

Two amazing silver postcards from Carol Sue Horstman of Fenton, MO. Thank you for advocating peace!

only one therefore only peace

Gretchen Blais, NCWCA artist from Richmond, CA, sent this compelling series of 17 collage postcards with the running thread of "only one therefore only peace." These are her vision for what's possible with peace, and what can be destroyed by nuclear war.

Green

Manon of Eindhoven, The Netherlands sent this card and said, "I tried to make our dirty world a little bit greener..." Thank you Manon!

We Were Here

That big blackness of "where we were." Thank you Denis Charmot of Marnaz, France for your powerful statement.

Peace on Earth

A lovely peace card from artist Elena Mary Siff of Santa Monica, CA. The postcard is affixed on top of another black and white postcard of school children.

No More War

Five anti-war statements from NCWCA artist Judy Johnson-Williams of Oakland, CA.

The C-Bomb

Pen & ink collage by Russell Manning of Dallas, Texas. The description at the bottom states that the cobalt bomb is an atomic bomb wrapped in a shell of non-radioactive cobalt-59. Theoretically, explosion of the atomic bomb would change the cobalt-59 into pulverized radioactive cobalt-60 which would be carried by the wind in all directions for several generations. Because the radioactivity of this bomb could not be restricted to any area, the weapon has been labeled a suicide device and has not been tested.

Musundanri Wind Co

Eugene Otani of Tokyo, Japan illustrated what North Korea could do if they embraced peace - turn nuclear warheads into energy-producing windmills.

Smile 2009

This amazing card was painted with nail polish and is titled "Smile 2009." It was sent by Serena Rossi of Milan, Italy.

Peaceful Bird

A sweet peace bird by Alice of Melbourne, Australia

Mean Ghosts Begone!

Chiyeh God


Bayeh God

Two postcards from 11-year old Teresa Lin of Shanghai, China. These Gods specialize in rounding up mean ghosts. We need these spirits to protect us from nuclear war! Thanks so much for sending them Teresa!

Our Planet

Two beautiful postcards created by Rachel Hobreigh of Los Angeles, CA, reminding us of what our planet stands to lose with nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.

International Day of Peace

Dear UN NGO community,

Tomorrow, Saturday, June 13, we will be exactly 100 days away from the International Day of Peace on 21 September. The Day was established by the General Assembly as a “day of global ceasefire and non-violence" for "commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace within and among all nations and people.”

Under the slogan "WMD - We Must Disarm" this year's campaign is focusing on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's drive to persuade world leaders to workharder for a world free of nuclear weapons, making it safer for you, your children and grandchildren.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has just released his 100-day countdown message asking for everybody to participate. In partnership with UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas and American actor Rainn Wilson (The Office), the UN will issue one reason to disarm on Twitter www.twitter.com/wemustdisarm), Facebook (http://apps.facebook.com/causes/298538/61588950?m=6949f328), MySpace (www.myspace.com/wemustdisarm), and via email and radio every day. Some more prominent people might join us later. Please join the sites, invite others to do so, re-tweet or forward the messages to friends, or write your own reasons to disarm.

We are very grateful for all your support!

Best wishes,

Melanie Nolte
Associate Information Officer
Strategic Communications Division - Human Rights
United Nations
Department of Public Information
Room S-0955
New York, NY 10017, USA

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
MESSAGE TO MARK THE 100-DAY COUNTDOWN TO THE
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

13 June 2009

The International Day of Peace, observed each year on 21 September, is a global call for ceasefire and non-violence. It is a time to reflect on the horror and cost of war and the benefits of peacefully resolving our disputes. This year, I will use this important day to ask governments and citizens of the world to focus on the important issues of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

The end of the Cold War helped lift the burden of nuclear catastrophe from a
generation that had lived under its cloud since the end of the Second World War. Nonetheless, the threat persists, as recent events attest. Unless we vigorously work for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, we will continue to face threats from existing nuclear weapons, as well as additional risks that more States, even terrorists, might acquire and deploy such weapons, potentially annihilating millions of people.

This alarming outlook is counterbalanced by a new momentum on the part of
world leaders to address the issue of nuclear weapons. The United States and the Russian Federation have signalled a new commitment to cut their nuclear arsenals. Furthermore, the Conference on Disarmament, which includes all States with nuclear arms, has recently broken a decade-long deadlock and agreed to work to resolve some of the key issues related to disarmament and non-proliferation.

We must build on this momentum. To that end, I am launching the WMDWeMustDisarm! Campaign. Over the next 100 days, the United Nations and our partners around the world will work to raise awareness of the true costs and dangers of nuclear weapons. Between now and 21 September, we will issue 100 reasons to disarm, via Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, email, text message, radio and from friend-to-friend. Celebrities will also help us spread the message. And finally, as we observe the International Day of Peace with world leaders gathered in New York for the 64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, I will proclaim one strong, simple message: We Must Disarm!

...And KIK, The Ribbon International and WCA encourage you to create postcards in support of this message for our exhibition “Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero Weapons of Mass Destruction: Create a Culture of Peace Now!”

Powerful Statement!

This wonderful card arrived from Fabio Sassi of Bologna, Italy. Thank you so much for participating in this project!

Boyer

Ink drawing on handmade paper by Chevalier Daniel C Boyer of Houghton, MI. I see a nuclear submarine in a toxic yellow sea.

Atombomben

A collage card from artist Lindenhof of Winnemark, Germany. I love that spooky character at the bottom.

Zero Armi Nucleari

Laser collage postcard made by Claudio Grandinetti of Cosenza, Italy. Thank you for sharing your statement about nuclear war heads.

Glow-in-the Dark

I made these postcards out of glow-in-the dark insects and letters, tape and acrylic paint. Please send your postcards on the theme of ending nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and promoting a culture of peace!

Llamada de participación para arte postal/arte correo: “¡Cero Armas nucleares, Cero Armas de Destrucción Massiva: Creemos una Cultura de la Paz!”

KIK (Kulturel Information - Koordination), The Ribbon International, y Women’s Caucus for Art Invitan a todos los artistas del arte correo, artistas de todos medios, activistas, estudiantes, niños, escuelas, individuos y organizaciones para que creen postales para la conferencia internacional de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales (ONG’s) de las Naciones Unidas, “Para la paz y el desarrollo: ¡El Desarme ahora!”

Nuestro tema es uno de los temas mas importantes discutido durante esta conferencia: “Cero Armas Nucleares, Cero Armas de Destrucción Massiva - ¿Por qué, Cómo y Cuando?” Preste su voz a esta discusión. ¿Como se desarolla una Cultura de la Paz? ¿Cómo se resuelven conflictos de manera pacífica? ¿Qué significa el sentirse seguro?
¿Por qué debemos oponernos a la creación de armas nucleares y de otras armas de destrucción massiva? ¿Cómo podemos evitar estas armas? ¿Qué puede suceder si seguimos silenciosos y no nos oponemos? ¡Exprésese a través de palabras, fotografía y/o de ilustraciones! ¡Haga cuantas postales quieras! ¡Envíenos sus postales!

Todas las postales recibidas antes del 1 de septiembre de 2009 serán documentadas en nuestra página principal y exhibidas junto con al The Ribbon International en la conferencia de las Naciones Unidas en la Ciudad de México en septiembre de 2009. Luego, esta exposición viajará a dos lugares en los Estados Unidos para ser exhibidas al público en general para empezar un diálogo sobre la paz.

Plazo: Hasta el 1 de septiembre de 2009

Especificaciones de la tarjeta: tamaño 4” x 6”, Escribe el tema por detrás ““Cero Armas Nucleares, Cero Armas de Destrucción Massiva: Creemos una Cultura de la Paz!”, Incluso, en la parte posterior de la postal, proporcione su nombre y estado/país así que podemos reconocer su sumisión en el blogsite.

Profesores y educadores: ¡Damos la bienvenida de a la participación de su sala de clase o escuela!

Todas las postales serán documentadas en http://wcaartwavesinternational.blogspot.com/.

Sin jurado, sin costo para sumisión y las tarjetas no seran devueltas. Entrega postal solamente.

Envie sus postales a P. Otani, Curator, “¡Cero Armas Nucleares, Cero Armas de Destrucción Massiva!” 263 Laidley Street, San Francisco, CA 94131 USA.

Colaboradores de la exposición:
Kulturel Information – Koordination (KIK) es un ONG danés que trabaja para unificar a la gente a través de una red del arte y cultura para crear mas paz mundial.
página Web: http://www.kik-kultur.dk/

The Ribbon International es un proyecto interactivo del arte de la paz. The Ribbon (La Cinta) es una instalación de arte viviente que crece cada vez con sumisiones de artistas global. Cada sumisión mide un metro, por mitad-metro. Son cosidos o pintados en tela, illustrando los ideales principales del artista sobre los temas de la supresión de armas nucleares, el fin a las guerras y la preservación de el planeta. página Web: http://www.theribboninternational.org/
The Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) es una organización sin fines de lucro basado nacionalmente en Los Estados Unidos para las mujeres en las profesiones de las artes visuales. Fundado en 1972, WCA tiene 27 capítulos a través del país y es una sociedad del afiliada a la Asociación del Arte Universitaria. página Web: http://www.nationalwca.org/

Postcard Call for Participation: “Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero Weapons of Mass Destruction: Create a Culture of Peace Now!”

KIK (Kulturel Information - Koordination), The Ribbon International, and Women’s Caucus for Art invite artists, mail artists, students, children, activists and concerned individuals, classrooms and organizations to create postcards for this year’s United Nations NGO Conference, “For Peace and Development: Disarm Now!”

Our postcard theme focuses on one of the major issues debated at this conference: “Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero Weapons of Mass Destruction – Why? How? When?”
Lend your voice to this debate. What does a culture of peace look like? How would you resolve conflict in peaceful ways? What does it mean to feel safe and secure? Why must we oppose the creation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction? How can we remove these weapons? What can happen if we remain silent? What can change look like? Express yourself through words and/or artwork! Make postcards! Send us your postcards!

All postcards received by September 1, 2009 will be documented online and displayed together with The Ribbon International at the United Nations Conference in Mexico City in September, 2009. Afterwards, this exhibition will travel to venues in the United States for further display and dialog.

Deadline: September 1, 2009

Artwork: 4”x6” or Size 6 postcards on the theme “Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero WMD: Create a Culture of Peace Now!” On the back of the postcard, provide your name and State/Country so we can acknowledge your submission on the blogsite.

Teachers and Educators: We welcome classroom participation!

All Postcards will be documented on http://wcaartwavesinternational.blogspot.com/.

No jury, no fee, no return. Postal delivery only.

Mail postcards to P. Otani, Curator, “Zero NW Zero WMD: Create a Culture of Peace Now!” 263 Laidley Street, San Francisco, CA 94131 USA.

Exhibition Collaborators:

Kulturel Information – Koordination (KIK) is a Danish NGO which works to link people through a network of Art and Culture for a Global Culture of Peace. Website: http://www.kik-kultur.dk/

The Ribbon International is a peace art project. The Ribbon is an ever growing number of meter-by half-meter (or one yard by half-yard) pictures, sewn or painted on fabric, showing what each individual maker loves most and wants to protect by abolishing nuclear weapons, ending wars and preserving the environment. Website: http://www.theribboninternational.org/

The Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) is the leading national nonprofit organization for women in the visual arts professions in the United States. Founded in 1972, WCA has 27 chapters across the country and is an affiliate society of the College Art Association. Website: http://www.nationalwca.org/

DECEMBER 10th : THE 60th ANNIVERSARY, AND ELEANOR ROOSEVELT CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD

Sculpture in the home of our host, Photographer Anne de Henning

Student Tea Shop Window

Jeff Koons Exhibit in Versailles

December 10th, 2008 will be the actual 60th anniversary of the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Under Eleanor Roosevelt’s thoughtful guidance this document was fashioned by the Drafting Commission consisting of 17 disparate members. As the driving force behind the Commission’s accomplishment, she brought together people of vastly different political systems, religious codes and cultural attitudes. After two years of intensive work by this Drafting Committee, with her exceptional leadership, the Declaration was passed without a single dissenting vote.

All the member nations of the UN, along with all the NGO’s (Non Governmental Organizations, from civil society, of which we, the WCA, are one), endorse and support the Declaration of Human Rights. Obviously the Articles of the Declaration are aspirational in nature, but have proved to be an enduring goal. An important discussion at the recent conference arose around the RESPONSIBILITIES that go along with these rights. In fact, some folks believe there should be an amendment to the original articles that speaks to those responsibilities (although many questioned the possibility of consensus in that discussion, given the divisions in today’s world).

We, as an organization, have a wonderful opportunity in our Chapters to inform our membership about the Declaration and our international involvement. That involvement has already started to take shape in terms of a possible international panel of Artists presenting at the 2009 DPI-NGO Conference, as well as a collaboration with another NGO for an art show on Climate Change and the International Commission on Justice for Bhopal (ICJP), in the Fall of 2009. That show will coincide with the 350 Degree Conference and the 25th Anniversary of the world’s largest industrial disaster, Union Carbide’s infamous gas leak that killed thousands in Bhopal, India in 1983, which continues to claim victims, and has generated a response that has set the world’s standard for activism around corporate accountability. We expect to include an existing exhibition of art works specifically related to Bhopal, along with ‘Climate Change / ECO ART” by our national membership. There is currently a large internationally coordinated effort to bring a great deal of attention to the 25th Anniversary, so we expect it to be a high profile event linked to a huge publicity push.

It was an extraordinary pleasure to share the experience of the Conference and time in Paris with my Co- Delegate, Priscilla Otani, and I look forward to working together on expanding the scope of the International Committee of WCA.

I am posting some photos from our time in Paris- for your possible interest, although they are not necessarily directly related to the NGO Conference.

Day Three: DPI/NGO Conference, UNESCO Paris

Day Three of the Women's Rights Caucus
Helen using headset to hear simultaneous translation
An Iranian NGO speaks out. He said it was the first time Iran has sent a delegate and there is much to share and learn.
Ingrid Betancourt speaks to us via live telecast from the UN

The women's rights caucus was filled to capacity on day 3. It was great to hear women from many different countries voicing their opinions. The group decided to make a statement about sexual harrassment of female UN field workers at the afternoon closing session.

The morning roundtable focused on Human Rights Education. Ingrid Srinath from World Alliance for Citizen Participation gave an example of how children in Rajastan used human rights principles to negotiate a proper education with their teacher. Tilder Kumichi of the Global Education and Environmental Developmental Foundation spoke of provoking grassroots level change by taking the knowledge from the classrooms to the streets. She talked about using social drama to translate human rights at the local levels.

The closing session featured Ingrid Betancourt, who several months ago was freed from her captors in Colombia after 2,321 days. She thanked the French government and others for their assistance. She felt a great need to speak out about her experience and to remind us of those who are still held in captivity.

It was a poignant ending to a thought-provoking conference.

Day Two: DPI/NGO Conference at UNESCO, Paris

Breakout session: "From Vulnerability Toward Empowerment"
Breakout session: "Human Rights, Sustainable Development and the Earth Charter"
La Mairie due Veme Arrondissement de Paris
Gustavo Germano talks about his show, "ausenc'as" (absences)

Helen and I arrived in the middle of the women's rights caucus. The room was pretty full on day two, and we broke up into discussion groups. The goal was to come up with a statement on discrimination from the women's perspective to report back to the general session. Unfortunately we ran out of time, but one member voiced a strong opinion on ageism.

Day Two of the conference started with a roundtable session on Article 2 of the HR Declaration: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

Panelists Lita Anggraini, Eugen Brand and Dan Pescod spoke of their constituents - domestic workers, people with mental illness and the blind, respectively. Although human rights treaties have affirmed the principle of equality and non-discrimination, in reality discrimination continues in countries. These panelists spoke of actions they have taken, using human rights mechanisms to champion their causes.

Helen's favorite breakout session was on the Earth Charter, a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society. All of the speakers on this panel were dynamic and impassioned. We were particularly impressed with Mary Evelyn Tucker, lecturer in religion and the environment at Yale University.

At the end of the day, we attended an artist's reception at Salle des Fetes of the Mairie du Veme arrondissment. Another beautiful venue, it displayed the works of photographer Gustavo Germano. It documented the lives of people who lost their lives during the military dictatorship in Argentina from 1976 through 1983 through "before" and "after" family portraits.

Paris Mayor's Reception at l"hotel de Ville

Hotel De Ville, Location of the UNESCO Reception
Our Invitation to the Reception

(Left to Right) Yamina Benguigui, Deputy Mayor; Pierre Schapira, Deputy Mayor; Shamina de Gonzaga, Chair of the 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference
Guests at the Reception
Diana K. from International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal

Apparently there were only 200 invitations available for the Paris Mayor's reception at l'Hotel de Ville. There was a mad scramble after this was announced but it was unclear where these invitations were. Luckily, Helen and I got the inside scoop from an organizer and we got our invites! The location was the sumptuous l'Hotel de Ville, or City Hall. After listening to words of welcome from the deputy mayors and Shamina, we were all invited to enjoy the wines and hors d'oeuvres. Although the reception was packed there was plenty of food and wine and it was wonderful meeting other NGOs. What a full, exhausting and satisfying first day!

Day One: DPI/NGO Conference at UNESCO Paris

Televised Opening Address by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
Seventh Floor UNESCO Cafeteria with killer views of the Eiffel Tower
UNESCO Cafeteria - the best deal in town with great food at bargain prices!
A breakout panel titled "Women's Rights are Human Rights"
Afternoon Roundtable on Upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The sixty-first annual conference for non-governmental organizations (NGO) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) was held in Paris, France, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted sixty years ago. It is the first time the conference has taken place outside the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Some interesting statistics at this conference:

1399 representatives from 537 different NGOs in 74 countries registered for this conference. Of those, Africa was represented by 183 delegates, Asia Pacific had 152 delegates, Easter Europe had 37 delegates, Latin America had 62 delegates, Middle East/Arab Nations had 47 delegates, North American/Caribbean had 493 delegates and Western Europe had 425 delegates. Indeed, we noticed an amazing diversity of people, both in attendees and in panelists!

The speakers in the opening session welcomed us to the conference and gave us an overview of the next three days. The primary message in this session was the fact that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was readily adopted by many countries sixty years ago but the actual implementation of the articles has not been realized in any country. The exhortation by the panelists was for countries not to treat these articles as aspirational or to dilute their intention by relativism.

Helen and I had twenty minutes to rush upstairs to the UNESCO cafeteria to grab some lunch before the afternoon panels. We were delighted with the fresh selections offered and the unbelievable prices. Our lunches came to approximately 8 euros each! We sat with women from the International Federation of University Women and learned that every morning there was a Women's Rights Caucus that met for an hour before the sessions. They said very few attended on the first day, but that was probably because it was difficult to find out about it. The booklets and schedules for the conference were piled on a table on the side of the large, dark conference room and if you didn't ask someone, you probably would never have known to go and pick up the information.

After lunch, I attended a breakout session called "Women's Rights are Human Rights." Interestingly, several panelists were absent because they could not obtain visas in time. Joyce Oneko, one of the panelists, talked about AIDS education in Kenya. She started a successful forum for women to educate each other about AIDS, and stressed the need for more meetings places for women.

At the last session of the day, the panelists talked about Upholding the Universal Declaration. Among others, Nassera Dutour who represented the Collective of the Families of the Disappeared in Algeria gave an impassioned speech on behalf of her son and many others who have been forced to "disappear."

It was a long first day but now we had to rush to the subway station to go to our reception!