Kira Corser's Compassionate ARTS in Action organization has been a great source of social and racial justice and peace programming in California and beyond since 2015. While they have worked with many groups to bring art and activism together, including work with Indigenous Mexican weavers living in Greenfield, CA; refugee and immigrant children in El Cajon and Fallbrook, CA; and Black youth in Los Angeles, they have also created the Posts for Peace and Justice project, which might serve as a creative idea-generator for communities worldwide.
The Posts for Peace and Justice project brings local artists, educators, and children together to "support and build individual and community resilience, engagement, compassion, and cohesiveness, through creative, collaborative, inclusive experiences exploring and artfully representing relevant peace and social justice issues," explains the Posts for Peace website. They do this, primarily, through workshops where groups collaboratively create 6-8-foot tall vinyl posts. The posts are then "posted" and "hosted" by various physical and virtual sites in an effort to bring awareness to the focus issues. Each post includes "visual story" artwork created by the group, along with inspirational quotes, attention-grabbing facts, and relevant symbols to creative colorful–and powerful–messages of peace and justice.
While Corser's group uses vinyl posts, there might be other possibilities for creating your own version of Posts for Peace and Justice. What might work best in your community? What age groups might you get involved?
To see vibrant examples of these projects and learn more, visit the Compassionate ARTS in Action website or their sister page Posts for Peace and Justice: Creative Voices for Change.
