Nightly we turn on the news and it seems as if we are living in an epidemic of violence. Artists have historically used their special talents and have created powerful artistic responses to urgent societal problems. The Ohio Craft Museum will present later this year the work of over 40 artists who have taken head-on the issues of violent and gang related crimes, domestic abuse, war and genocide. This exhibition’s message illuminates the effects of violence and focuses on a burning contemporary issue that affects 1 in 20 youths directly and is affecting more and more people in our communities and country daily. The project will engage those who see it in discussions with one another on the topics of prevention and how to encourage actions that reduce the prevalence of violence in our culture “as the stories told through these works or art will allow the view to feel, to heal, to transform and to be moved to take action and become part of the solution.” The PFW grant will also help bring urban teens to the exhibit who are served at the Short Stop Youth Center who will be able to create peace flags as well as dye pillowcases with a focus on the theme “I Dream of Peace,”
