Nonviolence/Community Action Through the Arts/Unity-Peace mural

           
              Hello all community members.  My name is Francisco and I became a Zaadz member earlier this year in May 2007.  I have been totally impressed by all the programs, pods, and blogs I have run into over the last couple of months and would like to contribute my own blog devoted to sharing my life interests and my work.

My Life

              In the past few years of my life I have been learning about and embracing diverse philosophies and wisdom traditions because I feel that outside of religous or spiritual affiliation is the sisterly/ brotherly love that arises in the hearts of those who make an earnest effort to learn about one another.  Always keeping close to mind Gandhiji's message of peace and non-violence  I am making daily efforts to put sathyagraha into practice whether I am meditating or teaching a drawing class, or participating in the expression of visual/ music art, or peaceful social activism.  My life is a process and not a determined goal, and in that respect I am still in the early design stages of my own self-discovery.
              I am learning a lot about leadership and about the responsibility of a devoted life service to the community.  I am growing in my capabilities as a mentor and also a college student (art education major) and constantly looking for alternatives to the current educational paradigm which unfortunately does not broadly embrace solid values of non-violence and peaceful conflict resolution within it's tenets.  
             To inspire the hearts of like-minded individuals who seek new ideas for positive change and peaceful evolution is my utmost goal both on this website and in the world at large.  As a teacher and mentor working through art I fully devote all my life to bringing about peace through positive interaction between the young and elderly and everyone in between.  
                  
                Current Involvement in Community Projects Include: also let me know if you can volunteer.

Tennyson Street, Cesar Chavez Global Peace and Unity mural
@ 41st and Tennyson Street in Denver, CO - Set to be painted Mid-Late July 2007.  Well known muralist Randy Segura has become involved with the design and actual painting effort necessary to complete the peace mural this summer.  We have already secured more than 100 gallons of paint which is probably sufficient to complete the entire project. We are in need of more artists to help paint the mural, and we are open to more new ideas as well.  This project has been given the green light by the city parks and recreations committe/ panel here in Denver, CO.  We are currently in need of material supplies: drop cloths, paint brushes - different sizes-, sealant to preserve the mural, paint masks, and spraypaint.  Please email me for more information about the the peace mural.

Spirituality, Life, and Death-   A community collage art collective -  performances by public  and college students participating in Social action through art - a class taught by
Dr. Linda Marangia at Metropolitan State College of Denver where I am currently pursuing my art education degree.  This event is aimed at expressing our understanding of Spirituality, Life, and Death and making a call for peace as a community through meditation, prayer, and artistic/spiritual expression.  This event will take place at the St. Francis Cathedral located on the Metro State campus in Denver, CO during the month of August this year of 2007

           Donors and sponsors need only make contributions of materials and supplies that we are in need of.  If you are an artist or a prospective sponsor and would like more information about the programs I have listed in this introduction please do send an email and I will underline our materials and volunteer needs.  Thank you for taking the time to read this far and may peace be with us all.  

Non-Violence in the Art Classroom- my life work

       
             Many children in the public school system will go through their formal education (k -12) without ever having the opportunity to learn about the ethical viewpoints of past and present philosophers, psychologies, or spiritual wisdom traditions.  Today children are faced with some pretty terrible and frightening consequences of this very fact.  Leaving the world of brotherly love and entering the field of battle through mindless videogame playing simulating death and bloody destruction amongst the sheer volume of weapon styled toys has truly given rise to the notion that violence is ok and even cool. 
            The past ten years have been both terrifying and eye opening.  Teachers, faculty, students, and parents have a strong need to become accustomed to the idea that if their children do not learn about conflict resolution and non-violent alternatives these episodes or violent outbreak will likely continue to plague our consciousness.  This trend of war mongering, and violent gang mentality must end but it needs to start somewhere.  It is my belief that the public school system, private schools, Montessori, and charter schools are in grave need of non-violence training.   Not only will students learn the techniques gleaned by Gandhiji, but faculty, counselors, teachers and parents should be sent materials that can effectively cover all bases: home, school, and the office.

                In my experience as a middle school and high school teen I found that many of my teachers were completely disarmed when a student chose to tease or insult another student and that the most general reaction was a sour look and a general air of indifference.  After having read and practiced the way of SatyaGraha, which is Mohandas Gandhiji's ethical code of conduct, I can see how, armed with the intelligence of nonviolent argument resolution techniques and learning how to limit violent or harmful words, we can really cause a shift in the way others view the world and how we deal with difficult situations.
                As a mentor and art teacher (non-licensed, free classes) I feel the responsibility to integrate the ethical guidelines of SatyaGraha to create assignments and projects centering on themes of non-violence and negotiation techniques that will help students learn how to hold back judgmental thoughts when offered criticism and how to remain dignified and unsullied by the negative actions/ words/ thoughts of others.  
                My assignments will include art books where students have a choice to make lists of experiences they have had where they felt that an argument or discussion had not been resolved and to use their ideas about non-violence to find a better alternative to their past action or simply to recall a story where non-violent negotiation worked to create a more harmonious result.  The books are hand drawn and painted if the student chooses.  The idea itself was partially gleaned from 'Teaching Tolerance' a public school education series given to schools for free by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  I worked in a fundraising office and made calls to past donors who really strongly supported these materials and for good reason.  They are a viable start to getting free 'tolerance' materials into public classrooms without having to make drastic curriculum adjustments.  The lessons in the Teaching Tolerance series are aimed at teaching kids how to have respect for people of different cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds through stories that illustrate the pain felt by those who are ostracized and the joy experienced when we live with respect and kindness.  I wanted to expand on this concept by applying these themes of respect and kindness to all spectrums and varieties of culture whether they be ancient or contemporary.
               
           Tolerance is simply not enough.  In order for our children to understand the full import of living in a world that is quickly becoming internationalized they must begin to learn about different cultures and traditions and learn not only to respect those traditions, but also to see the value in some of the ethical, philisophical, and spiritual dialectics formed by those cultures.  My series of nonviolence immersion assignments will include an artbook, sumi landscape paintings, self portraits, still life studies (items are gathered from different cultural traditions and can be decorative but are also meant to help students explore their own culture and cultures other than the one they are living), and a chance to offer sketches and ideas for a public community peace mural currently being designed by a group of 9 artists myself included and our children, the peace muralists.  The project is slated to begin in late Summer 2007 and will be painted on a concrete wall that extends around a park recently dedicated in 2005 and located in Denver, CO on Tennyson St. and 41st Ave.
            As I come closer to getting my secondary education degree I am seeing firsthand how difficult it will be to appeal to the board of education to get such a program initiated in even one entire school save my own classroom.  So I have decided that a public school will not be the place where such an undertaking will be initiated.  I will continue to use this method as I teach privately and will amass a portfolio of student work and progress reports before I approach the education board with my non-violence art curriculum when I receive my degree/ licensure to teach.  This is a crucial moment in history where people are awakening to the possibility of a different paradigm of ethical and conscious child rearing and teaching in schools.  I hope to assist in the great work that is ahead of me by remaining honest to my cause as an educator and receptive to the young who also have so much to teach us.  I hope this post has been of service to those of you who are considering teaching the young or whom simply have gone through this life without having the compassionate guidance of a centered and spiritual teacher.  May you become the light in all children's life and may you find a way to live life in a way that is the utmost example to our young.  Patience, Love, and Unity.   May all beings be at peace.

Namaste,

Franciscoji