Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Artists as Peacemakers Exhibit in SF


On the way home from finalizing the last song of the blues project Alex and I wrote for the RPM Challenge, I did a walk through of "Artists as Peacemakers,"* which the San Francisco Culture Center is hosting, Feb 22-March 1 (in Room 1B). Illustrating a host of great musicians and actors (Joan Baez, Herbie Hancock, Angelina Jolie to name a few) who serve as Artist Ambassadors for the United Nations or other humanitarian programs dedicated to peace, the show highlighted the importance of volunteerism, the role of the arts in providing understanding and solace & provided a great boost of hope to this viewer. At the same time, Obama was electrifying the country with his speech— I came home to some very inspired housemates who'd watched the president outline his ambitious plan for our recovering country to the joint session of congress:

"
In a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger, or yield to the politics of the moment. My job – our job – is to solve the problem. .......For in our hands lies the ability to shape our world for good or for ill.” — Obama


*The Artists as Peacemakers," runs from February 22-March 1, then it will be displayed at the Academy of Arts University from March 2-6.

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