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Embiid, Grant Visit Seeds of Peace Camp
NBA.COM

Aug 11, 2014 / No Comments

The NBA offseason is a time for players to rest their bodies, to train, and to mentally prepare themselves for the long season ahead. But it is also a time for them to touch communities with which they are not able to connect during the busier half of their year.

On Friday, five current and former NBA players traveled to Southern Maine, where 182 young leaders from regions of conflict in the Middle East, South Asia, and the United States are gathered for Seeds of Peace. According to their mission statement, Seeds of Peace is a camp “dedicated to inspiring and equipping new generations of leaders from regions of conflict with the relationships, understanding, and skills needed to advance lasting peace.” The players served as guest basketball coaches during the camp’s 11th Annual Play for Peace program.

The group was led by Joel Embiid and included Sixers teammate and fellow rookie Jerami Grant, as well as Marcus Smart (Boston), Steven Adams (Thunder), and former NBA player Brian Scalabrine.

Although his recent foot surgery kept Embiid from joining the action on the court, he offered instruction and commentary from the sidelines.

Read Max Rappaport’s article at NBA.com ››

Brent Barry’s big summer
NBA.com

Jul 27, 2004 / No Comments

BY RANDY KIM | Brent Barry has had a very productive offseason. First, he signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs, a title contender desperately in need of some backcourt help and outside shooting (Barry’s specialities). Then he volunteered as a counselor at the Seeds of Peace clinic, a basketball-themed camp that helps teenagers from different Middle East conflict areas learn to work together and see past their cultural differences. Barry talked to NBA.com about his involvement with the camp and his move from Seattle to Texas. Here’s what he had to say:

This is your third visit to Seeds of Peace. How strongly do you feel about what you guys are accomplishing there?

Barry: “Well, I don’t know that we, the players, are accomplishing that much. It’s more a case of whatever comes out of the camp comes out of the hands of some very capable young people; boys and girls and young men and women who come out here for one reason, and that’s to help make change. There’s added motivation for them to change because of the immediacy of what they’re dealing with.”

What has surprised you most about working with Seeds of Peace?

Barry: “Again, probably just the confidence that these kids have in what they’re trying to get done. You can not diminish any of the light that they’re trying to put upon a situation that’s going on for them every day. The task that they have in hand is a very large one, one that’s seemingly impossible, but they understand that if anything is to change, it has to come from within. They understand it’s with how kids are taught. With ambition.”

The tensions in that region obviously run very high. Is it hard for the Israeli and Palestinian teens to warm up to each other at the start?

Barry: “Absolutely. (The NBA players) get there late into their three-week session, but we’ve heard stories about just how high the tensions can run at first. The first couple of nights at the camp are supposedly very, very intense. Israeli kids and Palestinian kids are forced to sleep in the same bungalows and cabins, right across the room from one another. Each of these rooms has security people in there, sleeping in the buildings with them.

“The problem is that these kids have been taught, or think, from a very young age that these other kids are against them or trying to get them. They don’t get much sleep the first few nights. Then, during the first few co-existence meetings, there’s a professional counselor that sits with the groups, because the first few meetings are very intense. Everything they experience can run counter to a lifetime of what they’ve been raised with. They just don’t believe that they’re just kids on the other side and that, in a way, they’re looking in the mirror when they talk to them.

“The amazing thing is also how well educated these kids are about everything that’s going on. Their perspectives are other-worldly, because they’re subjected to so much more violence and conflict. Their education is really accelerated due to exceptional circumstances.”

You’re quoted as saying the camp makes you “believe that there is hope.” Can you expand upon this?

Barry: “Like I said, just sitting in these meetings and having meals with the kids; the way that they all seem to understand … I guess it’s like the problem with divorced parents in the U.S., and the only way to break that cycle is to get married and keep your own nuclear family intact. These kids feel that way; that they have to break the cycle of violence and separation. They feel that they need to change the political and ethical views from the inside. They understand this and they embrace it.”

So do you think they harbor resentment towards the generations that led them down this path?

Barry: “I don’t know if you can say that there’s resentment, but they feel that there’s a great deal of naivety in past generations. It’s great because after the camp they go down to D.C. and draw up a peace-keeping document, so they have a means of officially expressing what they’ve learned. Then when they go back home, there are Seeds of Peace centers and facilities where they can try to keep in touch with the people they made bonds with in the camp. Obviously, they can’t make these connections too public for fear of their lives, basically. But it’s very cool to see them maintain these continuing dialogues after the camp is over with. You see so many kids return to the camp as counselors and such, just because the experience is so positive.”

Rookies ready to help at Seeds of Peace International Camp
NBA.com

Jul 31, 2009 / No Comments

Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington aren’t sure what to expect out of this camp and they’ve each attended plenty of others in their day. The former college rivals and recent first-round picks are taking part in the Seeds of Peace International Camp with an open mind.

The same goes for the campers.

“I’ve never gone to camp like this,” said Henderson, a Duke product and Bobcats rookie. “I always went with the same kids and always played basketball. I’ve never thought about who I was camping with and what they were going through in their lives.”

Former Tar Heel and Timberwolves’ choice Ellington added: “I want to go and learn more about this. I know a little about the Middle East conflict. It’s definitely an experience that’s worth going to and take some time doing.”

Henderson and Ellington are taking part in the Play for Peace basketball clinic Monday, along with 140 Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian and American youth. Also scheduled to participate are Seeds of Peace veterans Brian Scalabrine (Celtics) and Jordan Farmar (Lakers), rookie Tyreke Evans (Kings) and former WNBA star Barbara Turner.

Arn Tellem, agent of both Henderson and Ellington, recruited the two rookies to take part in a camp close to his heart. Tellem is the president of Wasserman Media Group Management and a Seeds of Peace board member. The yearly camp, which focuses on leadership and conflict resolution, is located in Otisfield, Maine.

“At a critical moment in the Middle East with renewed interest in diplomacy, it’s important that the players do their part to advance understanding and coexistence,” Tellem said. “Every year, this visit becomes an experience as much for the players as it is for the camp participants.”

The Obama administration has placed a great deal of emphasis in the Arab-Israeli peace process, in addition to outreach initiations in Arab and Muslim communities. Such politically-charged issues are not often associated with the NBA, which does take great pride in its humanitarian efforts, including NBA Cares, around the world.

“Honestly, I’m not involved in politics as much as I should,” Henderson said. “When I heard about what goes on there it was something I wanted to be involved in and see for myself.

“I’ve always been involved with going to hospitals, clinics or summer camps, but nothing where it’s a little about basketball, and more about the kids and learning about new cultures. Hopefully through basketball we’re able to bring them together. I’m looking forward to it.”

The basketball clinic will focus on team-building exercises, giving the campers up-close and personal interaction with players at the highest level.

“Sports, and in particular, basketball, is a very important part of the camp experience,” camp director Leslie Lewin said. “The visit of the NBA players helps teach the importance of cooperation and trust, and helps draw attention to the courageous efforts of our campers.”

But what the campers learn from the NBA players is only part of the mission.

“The kids might not know too much about each other,” Ellington said. “All they know is the conflict. It’s a chance to get to know each other and unite and find that they had more in common than they thought.”

Read Art Garcia’s article at NBA.com »

Independent documentary film on Seeds of Peace to premiere at Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Film Festival

Jun 9, 2004 / No Comments

WASHINGTON | A new documentary film called SEEDS, produced by independent filmmakers Marjan Safinia and Joseph Boyle on the Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine, will celebrate its World Premiere at the Opening Night Gala of the SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland, on June 15th, 2004 at 7 p.m.

Following the screening of the film, CNN’s Judy Woodruff will moderate a discussion with campers from the film, the filmmakers, and Seeds of Peace President and former U.S. State Department Arab-Israeli negotiator Aaron David Miller.

SEEDS features ten teenagers who undertake the challenge of coexisting with their ‘enemies’. Every summer, young leaders from four conflict regions meet at the Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine. For three life-changing weeks, they learn to share their dreams and fears, listen to opposing views, see beyond prejudices and, eventually, to respect each other as individuals as they attempt to build the one thing they all strive for: a future based on peace, prosperity and reconciliation.

During the summer of 2002, Seeds of Peace allowed SEEDS’ filmmakers unparalleled access to the summer camp to document the extraordinary program and the often difficult and painful journey through the eyes of the participants.

Said Miller, “While there are obviously many sensitivities and complexities involved in the four conflicts we follow involving different interpretations, viewpoints and perspectives, the film SEEDS provides a compelling and accurate assessment of our work and mission. We are excited about the release of this film so that more people can learn about and support the critical work we do empowering leaders of the next generation.”

SILVERDOCS 2004 will screen over 70 films drawn from more than 1,200 entries from 65 countries. The 2004 SILVERDOCS Festival will take place June 15-20 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The week following the premiere of SEEDS, the 12th summer of the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine, will begin with Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Moroccan, Yemeni, Indian, Pakistani, Afghan and American youth. There will be over 175 campers during the camp’s first session, which will run from June 21 through July 14 and culminate in a trip to Washington, D.C., where campers will meet with US and international dignitaries.

Founded in 1993, Seeds of Peace focuses on the Middle East, but has expanded its programming to include young leaders from South Asia, Cyprus, and the Balkans. Its leadership network now encompasses over 2,500 young people from four conflict regions. Through its Camp in Maine, its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, international youth conferences, regional workshops, educational and professional opportunities, and adult educator programs, participants develop empathy, respect, and confidence as well as leadership, communication and negotiation skills all critical components that will ensure peaceful coexistence for the next generation.

For information on the film SEEDS, visit www.seedsthemovie.com. For information on SILVERDOCS, visit www.afi.com/afidocs/.

Sowing seeds of peace
Scarsdale Inquirer

Feb 10, 2012 / No Comments

Seeds of Peace international summer camp has multiple ties to Scarsdale

BY CARRIE GILPIN | When the students arrive at the Maine peace camp for their three-week stay, some think they won’t make it through the first night.  Will they be murdered in their sleep by a bunkmate whom they’ve never met but have been taught to fear and maybe despise? Grouped by conflict region, campers share a living space and participate in daily dialogue sessions. Israeli, Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian campers are grouped together. Similarly, campers from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan share bunks. The 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds spend three weeks together living, working, talking, cooking, playing sports, creating art and role-playing. At the end, they come out friends; and if not friends, well then, with at least a curiosity about each other and possibly a new perspective on their own identity.

Since 1993, when 46 Israelis, Palestinians and Egyptians came to Otisfield, Maine, for the first session of camp, Seeds of Peace has aimed to help young people from regions of conflict develop the leadership skills NEcessary to advance reconciliation and coexistence. Today, there are more than 4,600 students from the Middle East, South Asia, Cyprus, the Balkans, and the United States who have been a part of the program. Scarsdale’s connections to the organization run long and deep, and include the founder of the camp, John Wallach, as well as campers, counselors, volunteers and benefactors.

The summer camp is the core of a growing international program that offers year-round workshops, conferences and adult educators programs worldwide, said Seeds of Peace educator and Scarsdale resident Margery Arsham. Arsham and her husband Jim have had a summer home in Maine near the camp for more than 30 years, and she organizes dinners for Seeds of Peace adult chaperones with Maine locals each summer. Arsham’s son Andy, a 1991 SHS A-School graduate, worked many summers for the camp between 1995 and 2004 and met his wife, Sonja, at the camp.

“Each Maine host invites two adults, one Palestinian and one Israeli, or one Indian and one Pakistani, for instance, for dinner on the first Saturday night after they arrive. Some of these people are still friends today and have traveled to visit each other in their home countries years later,” Arsham said.

Arsham said the adult chaperones, called “delegation leaders,” also tour the local lumber mill and the local school while in Maine, and reciprocate with a dinner at the camp for their local hosts at the end of the camp session, cooking their own country’s dishes.

Otisfield native contractor Jared Damon has hosted Seeds of Peace adults for the last three summers. He and his wife Beth cook an American meal for their Seeds of Peace guests. “Very simply, we talk about our day-to-day lives in our countries, and our customs, our similarities and our differences,” said Damon. “We talk about life. Margery sets all this up, and since there are dietary restrictions, she suggests that chicken is always safe, so we cook chicken.” Damon drives the three miles to the camp to pick up his guests, and returns them after dinner at his home. “Usually it is slow to get going, but we start talking and then it is hard to get them back by the 10 p.m. curfew.”

Both Damon and Arsham say that some local Maine residents worry about the presence of the camp in their town, for security purposes, and that the community outreach has been beneficial for everyone.

Seeds of Peace is a nonpolitical secular, not-for-profit organization funded by individuals, foundations and corporations. The nongovernmental organization has received support from many world leaders, including Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former Israeli Prime Ministers Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the late King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan, and King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan.

Seeds of Peace’s mission is to work toward people of conflict developing lasting empathy, respect and confidence toward one another, while equipping future leaders with the communication and negotiation skills necessary to advance peace. The organization receives nearly 8,000 application for approximately 400 camper spots each year.

Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English and leadership skills, as well as motivation based on interviews and written essays. Some first-time campers are chosen by the ministries of education in their countries. Adult delegation leaders accompany students from their countries to the camp, and go through their own dialogue sessions. Each day, campers meet with professional facilitators and delve into the hardest issues, in the process challenging inherent stereotypes and prejudices. Trust and understanding is fostered through dialogue that encourages participants to empathize, communicate effectively and demonstrate respect, regardless of opinion. A camper’s schedule includes sports and creative activities, swimming and an all-camp activity.

When camp ends, the “seeds” have been planted to pursue peace and dialogue. There are follow-up activities back home, and campers participate in advanced dialogue sessions, school presentations, cross cultural exchanges, workshops and seminars and a campers magazine, “The Olive Branch.”

The program is effective, according to former counselor Robert Tessler, who worked as an intern in the Seeds of Peace New York City headquarters before working two stints as a counselor. The 1999 Scarsdale High School graduate said the experience “sucks you into a family. It isn’t perfect but it is very special. It exposes you to a different way of thinking. I have met remarkable people. It has been the most important experience of my life.”

Tessler graduated from New York University with a degree in music theory and composition, and then decided on the advice of his older brother to see a bit of the world. He moved to Cairo, studied Arabic and then elected to complete post-baccalaureate work before going to medical school instead of pursuing a graduate degree in policy work. He is currently a third-year medical student at UCSF and speaks highly of the camp, its mission and the people associated with it.

Tessler said the teens have little to no access to each other at home, and at camp they are in a peaceful spot far from the pressures they leave behind.

“These are not political figures at all. They are adolescents first. They are 13 or 14, most of them, and their hormones are raging, and they are more worried about the way their hair is or if they have the right jeans on than anything else. It diffuses a little of the ‘we have a deep seated hatred of each other’ part. It is up to us, to the counselors, to take that energy and turn it into dialogue. To spread it out over the three weeks. It isn’t like they are all holding hands at the end of it–the goal is really to just get them to be a bit curious about somebody they have heard about but haven’t met yet. And this happens more often than not.”

The most successful counselors are people who have a real diversity of experience, according to Tessler. “The kids don’t care how many books you have read on political theory. But if you can take a good jump shot, or if you can play soccer, kids love that. That’s what these kids want. Seeds of Peace looks for good folks, and they get them. Many of them are in college studying social justice or have worked with NGOs before,” Tessler said.

Seeds of Peace has many opportunities for advanced diplomacy work. One such offshoot is the recently formed Seas of Peace, a summer sailing session for Israeli and Palestinian campers who have already attended Seeds of Peace camp and completed the follow-up yearlong activities. Campers spend three to six hours per day in facilitated discussions. In the first 10 days of camp, they learn to sail small boats in Portland Harbor, and work at Catherine’s Cupboard, a food work at Catherine’s Cupboard, a food pantry run by St. Joseph’s College. Then, they join a professional sailing crew on the 110-foot schooner “Spirit of Massachusetts,” and sail to New York City, where they meet with United Nations officials before sailing back to Boston.

“The curriculum, developed by Carrie O’Neil and Tim O’Brien, is based heavily on leadership models developed at Harvard university,” said co-founder of Seas of Peace David Nutt. “The course provides the Seeds concrete skills relevant to their lives at home as well as the opportunity to discuss the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Many of those involved in Seeds of Peace say the experience is life changing.

“On the last day, there are usually tears. It is incredibly emotional, and is the highest of the high. There is this special bond,” said Tessler. “Adolescence is a perfect time for this. Identity, figuring out who they are, is such a big part of their lives. These kids have historical baggage and the camp brings them to a peaceful place far away from home. We don’t want them to lose that when they return. Their identity is wrapped up in how they think of someone else so when they get here we start small. We ask them about the favorite thing in their room, and we build on that. It’s very powerful, and the kids are super courageous going through it.”

Locally, Scarsdalians have worked in many ways to support the organization. Seeds of Peace has two fundraising events in New York City each year, and former Scarsdalians Helen (SHS class of 1967) and Eric Rosenberg (SHS class of 1966) have been to both. “They are both wonderful events,” said Helen. “The auction, called ‘The Peace Market,’ is a more informal event for younger supporters, and the gala is more formal. Former “seeds” speak at the gala and talk about what they have done with their lives since they became involved,” said Helen, whose mother still lives in town. The Rosenbergs raised both their children in Scarsdale: Karen graduated in 1995 and Stuart in 1998.

“We have also been to see the Seeds of Peace camp and saw the end-of-season Color Games–they don’t call it Color Wars. It is incredibly moving and we were so impressed with what they do and how they do it,” she said.

Arsham said many of her Jewish friends in New York donate money to the organization, and if they do not, they still support its mission “and want it to work.”

Scarsdale High School runs an Interfaith Awareness Club that promotes Seeds of Peace among other organizations. “We very informally get together, even if it is just a few people at Starbucks, to spread awareness of different religious groups,” said club president Harrison Shapiro, a senior.

The club set up a table at parent-teacher conferences in the fall and sold baked goods to raise money for Seeds of Peace and other organizations. Shapiro said he knows of no Scarsdale student who is currently a camper.

For more information on Seeds of Peace visit www.seedsofpeace.org and www.facebook.com/SeedsofPeace. For information on Seas of Peace visit www.facebook.com/seasofpeace/.

Seeds of Peace founder a Scarsdale native

Scarsdale native John Wallach, who died in 2002 at age 59, founded the peace camp Seeds of Peace in 1993 to bring together teenagers from Middle Eastern countries who would normally never meet or talk with each other back at home.

The teenage boys and girls attend the camp in Otisfield, Maine, for three-week sessions, living together in bunks, sharing meals, playing sports and engaging in stereotyping-breaking and role playing group sessions about their political conflicts and their lives.

Wallach graduated from Scarsdale High School in 1960. In 1968, four years after graduating from Middlebury College, he became foreign editor of Hearst Newspapers. An expert on Arafat and the Middle East, he broke the story of the Iran-Contra scandal, and was frequently a panelist on “Meet the Press,” “Washington Week in Review,” “Fox News” and CNN.

Wallach also authored four books, including “Arafat in the Eyes of the Beholder” and “Still Small Voices,” the latter co-authored with his wife, Janet. In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev awarded him the highest civilian honor in the USSR, the Medal of Friendship. Wallach received the National Press Club’s highest honor, the Edwin Hood Award. He was also made an honorary doctor of human letters by Middlebury College.

In 1993, in the wake of the first bombing of the World Trade Center, Wallach gave up journalism and decided to follow a dream, the creation of a summer camp at which Arab and Israeli children live, play and learn together. Initially, 50 young people participated in the program, which included daily conflict-resolution sessions run by professional Arab, Israeli and American facilitators. The program, Seeds of Peace, quickly earned an international reputation. It also expanded to include year-round activities.

“The Enemy Has a Face,” written by Wallach, captures the joys and the challenges of Seeds of Peace.

Wallach was named a distinguished alumnus of SHS in 2005.

Alumni Profile: Arnon
Creating community through music

Apr 18, 2018 / No Comments

Our alumni are working in ways small and large to make an impact in their communities. This “Alumni Profiles” blog series will feature some of our over 7,000 changemakers in 27 countries around the world who are working to transform conflict.

Arnon, who goes by his stage name Sun Tailor, is a 2018 GATHER Fellow. Right before the Fellowship program kicked off in Sweden, he talked with us from his self-described “music cave” in Jaffa about what he hopes to accomplish as part of the program.

Seeds of Peace: Tell us about your journey to where you are now.

Sun Tailor: When I was 23, I moved from Israel to London to study music, that’s when Sun Tailor came into existence. Then I toured in India after my first album, and I found my “why”—the thing that gets me excited about making music. Seeing people come together, get excited together, live and talk about something together … every night in India I was happiest when I got to be the person making that happen. I tour all over the world, and I do it because that is what matters to me. That’s my passion, the biggest contribution I can offer.

Seeds of Peace: Can you talk about the work you aim to do as a GATHER Fellow?

Sun Tailor: My project is a music workshop that brings together high schoolers in Israel and in the Palestinian territories—the Jewish schools, the Arab schools, everyone we can get—to experience the other side through music. It’s about acknowledging the power of music as language.

I’m a proud Israeli; I’m passionate about living here, and I’ve been thinking about what I can do to contribute. The workshop came from the idea of people coming together, singing together, clapping together—sharing a language beyond nationalism or religion. The best thing I can give to the world is connecting people to a shared experience, using the power of music to open up hearts and minds. To create a community out of nothing, without words.

It’s not about solving a political issue. I’m not a politician, I don’t have political answer. But I have a human answer. If we can see each other as human, as the same, we’ll be much better at solving the problem.

Seeds of Peace: What is your superpower?

Sun Tailor: Music! It is a real superpower. It heals people internally—I use it on myself as well. When I sit down with a guitar, it can change my state for the better. In my own personal journey, even if no one sees it, something strong can happen. It’s that feeling after exercising or playing a sport, but it’s on a spiritual level. It’s a workout for the soul.

Seeds of Peace: How did you first hear about Seeds of Peace?

Sun Tailor: There was a Mic and Pen event [a Seeds of Peace-piloted initiative to engage musicians and other artists in conflict transformation] here in Jaffa that I was invited to, then an artists’ retreat in the south of Israel that I joined. It was amazing to collaborate with all sorts of artists—Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish. I actually recorded a song with Saz, a Palestinian rapper I met through Mic and Pen, and we’re currently finishing production on it.

Seeds of Peace: If your life was a TV show, book, movie, song or album, which would it be?

Hmmm, that’s a good question. I’m not sure—it’s not really a comedy, it’s not fantasy or science fiction. That doesn’t leave many options, does it? I hope it’s an epic and not a melodrama!

Seeds of Peace: What are you most excited about going into the GATHER Fellowship program in Sweden?

Sun Tailor: I’m excited to meet other people in a similar situation as I am, where they’re social entrepreneurs and they want to create positive change. To be able to come together with a group of people is very powerful. And yes, I’m bringing my guitar!

You can check out Sun Tailor’s tour dates on www.suntailor.com. Questions or comments? Let us know below!

VIDEO: Basketball stars help spread seeds of peace
WCSH (NBC/Portland)

Jul 20, 2016 / No Comments

OTISFIELD, Maine | The game of basketball can unite people from all different places and backgrounds. That’s why, for the last 15 years, the Seeds of Peace Camp has been using the sport to strengthen relationships between its kids from all over the world, especially the Middle East.

On Wednesday, current and former basketball stars, including former Celtics Dave Cowens and Brian Scalabrine, headed to extend the camp’s message of acceptance and understanding to the court.

It may not seem like passes and layups are making an much of an impact, but the stars say the campers actions and attitudes are inspiring.

This session of Seeds of Peace Camp has 129 international campers, primarily from the Middle East. The camp works to create an open dialogue among teens with differing backgrounds to help create a more peaceful world.

Watch Jessica Gagne’s report at WCSH6.com »

How art can transform conflict:
An interview with Lisa Cirenza

May 9, 2018 / No Comments

When artist Lisa Cirenza told us she was donating one of her latest works to Seeds of Peace, we were ecstatic.

Of course, as a member of our Global Leadership Council and a mother of Seeds, Lisa is far from a stranger to us. But it’s rare that we get a chance to talk to her about her craft—or her personal journey.

She had just returned home from a showing in Edinburgh, Scotland, when we spoke, and she was already gearing up for a fresh round of shows. Below are highlights from our conversation, where Lisa talks about how art can help create a culture of peace.


Lisa with her recent piece, “Amina.”

Seeds of Peace: Tell us a little bit about your journey to becoming an artist?

Lisa: I always wanted to be an artist, but my parents were very strict that I become either a doctor, a lawyer, or a scientist. They didn’t see being a Bohemian artist as the best road to success, so much of my training was done in secret. In college, I double-majored in French so I could clandestinely study art in Paris. I used to sneak out to take art classes—that was a huge theme of my life, going out to take class after class. My goal was to amass all the tools in my toolbox, so when I fully launched, I wouldn’t be held back by not knowing how to use the screwdriver.

I was volunteering for Human Rights Watch and they wanted a piece for an auction. I made something for them, but because I didn’t have a name in the art world or an established price range, they wouldn’t take the piece. So I said to them, “I’m going to come back with a name and reputation so my art can do advocacy work and raise funds.”

Shortly after, I was accepted into my first show. The show did really well, and it’s been an amazing, intense whirlwind of two and a half years since then. Now Human Rights Watch will gladly take a piece I donate to them for an auction!

Especially in our current environment, where we’re surrounded by instantaneous answers and news, it’s important that we visually expose people to questions that they may not have considered before. To encourage people to create genuine dialogue.

Seeds of Peace: Walk us through your artistic process. What inspires you? What is your art about?

Lisa: The heart of all of my work is empathy. One of my most well-known works is a series on the Tube in London. I find the Tube to be a microcosm of multicultural nexus. Despite our differences, we all have the same purpose—get from point A to point B. In the Tube, two people you would never see in the same room together will share an armrest.

I’ve learned the value of listening and the value of not assuming that your narrative is the only narrative. So my art is about asking, “What is the other person’s narrative?”

Seeds of Peace: How can art transform conflict?

Lisa: The Tube isn’t a conflict region, but the people occupying that space are often in conflict. I’ve had people see my work and tell me they never rode the subway the same way again. That my art made them be present in the moment, made them consider for the first time what the backgrounds and stories were of each of the commuters around them. I personally cannot change the world at a high level. But if one person is kind to someone in the Tube because of me, that’s a huge victory.

I also think art has a crucial role of slowing people down. Especially in our current environment, where we’re surrounded by instantaneous answers and news, it’s important that we visually expose people to questions that they may not have considered before. To encourage people to create genuine dialogue. I don’t think art should give answers; it should ask questions and have the viewers ask questions.

Lisa’s work is in corporate and private collections throughout the world, and includes commissions for Apple, Stanford Hospital, Human Rights Watch, and Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs. Her next showing is at Oxford in May, and she will be in an international residency this summer. You can check out her art at www.cirenza.com.