By Karen Blessen, Founder and Artistic Director

29 Pieces

January 22, 2015

29 Pieces Offers Free Trainings for New Monumental Art Endeavor: the Piece 24 Project

“The Dallas LOVE Project, produced by 29 Pieces, was a transformative and monumental artistic reflection of the true nature of the citizens of our city. In the autumn of 2013, as we approached the 50th anniversary of the tragic day in Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was killed,visitors from around the world could see visual affirmations of unconditional love everywhere they went in our city. This grassroots, community effort by thousands of artists was a tremendous help to me, in demonstrating our city’s character … that we are a city of art, and more — a city of love.””
—Mayor Mike Rawlings, Dallas, Texas

THE DALLAS LOVE PROJECT, PRODUCED BY 29 PIECES

In 2013, 29 Pieces, an arts and education organization that I co-founded with Dr. Barbara Miller, produced the Dallas LOVE Project. We worked with 20,000 artists, 120 community partners, over 250 teachers,many generous supporters, more than 300 volunteers and 66 exhibit venues to create the largest public art project in Dallas history. 10,000 pieces of art (most by students) – all on the theme of universal, unconditional love – were exhibited throughout Dallas, in honor of President John F. Kennedy, and as a response to the unfortunate label given to Dallas after the president’s assassination – City of Hate. That project was covered by the Dallas Morning News, neighborhood and university newspapers, the Wall St. Journal, BBC, Al Jazeera, CBS, NBC, ABC, and foreign networks from 5 continents. The Dallas LOVE Project received more than 185 million press impressions. The story of the art, love and creativity of young Dallas artists rippled throughout the world!

OUR NEXT PROJECT, AND WE NEED YOU!

And now, in 2015, we are working on the Piece 24 Project (Make My Hands Respect the Things You Have Made) and we invite YOU(teachers, counselors and administrators) and your students to participate in what will be a monumental public art project on the theme of respect and compassion!

29 Pieces will be facilitating free monthly teacher trainings at Region 10 for the Piece 24 Project. The teacher trainings will be from 9 am – 4 pm, on the last Friday of each month from March – October 2015 (excluding July), with a one-hour break for lunch. Additional details regarding the trainings will be provided at a later date. Teachers and counselors will receive six hours of staff development credits for completion of the training. The Piece 24 Project weaves elements of art, science, social and emotional literacy, community involvement, presentation skills, website creation, and art installation techniques. It is a rich, project based learning experience for teacher and student alike.

Here’s what will happen in your training:

1. Through a concise, scripted and visual PowerPoint, we will explain the Piece 24 Project: Make My Hands Respect the Things You Have Made. The PPT presentation will then be available to you at no cost for use with your classes.

2. Teachers will be trained in the premise of the project – which is to create a “good” virus that ‘spreads’ respect and compassion – all through poster art created by students. The display of student poster art will coincide with the unveiling of a piece of monumental public sculpture that will be created by students at Sunset and Adamson High Schools in Dallas, partnering with professionals from varied fields.

In your training materials, students will be encouraged to define “respect.” Discussions are prompted about “Who/what do you respect?” “What needs our respect in our world?” Answers could be any number of issues or people: the environment, people who are discriminated against, homeless people, abandoned animals, my mother, my sister, the ocean, etc.” We will make the point that we can make change in the world - action by action, thought by thought, piece of art by piece of art. We will create this good virus, and this virus is going to invade Dallas, the country and the world! We will do instruction in the principles of different kinds of posters, and how to make impactful poster art.

When our “viruses” are complete, we will install them in our community where their messages can “lock” up with people, who will “catch” the virus and pass it on.

The Piece 24 Project lesson incorporates principles of science, art, Native American wisdom, community involvement, art installation techniques, very simple website development and graphic design.

We encourage teachers and students from all grades to participate. In The Dallas LOVE Project, artists from age 5 to 86 contributed art.

We invite you and all of your students to take part in the Piece 24 Project!

Please read more about 29 Pieces and The Dallas LOVE Project at our websites:

For more information, contact:

ABOUT 29 PIECES

The vision for 29 Pieces was born of tragedy. In August 2000, a young man was murdered in front of my home in Dallas. I processed the profound psychic toll of this event by writing and creating art. The result was “One Bullet,” a deeply personal story published in The Dallas Morning News in 2003. Following “One Bullet,” I was compelled to do something greater to uplift children, to give them the courage and strength to stand against the violence that permeates our culture. After 30 years as an illustrator and as a Pulitzer Prize winner for visual art and journalism, I experienced a creative “big bang,” and the founding vision of 29 Pieces emerged: monumental change through monumental art. I began a new phase of my life and career with a deep intention to use art to awaken creativity, compassion, respect and love. With my friend, Dr. Barbara Miller, 29 Pieces began.

29 Pieces was established as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization in 2005 to develop and deliver arts programs to the Dallas-area community, which include:

MasterPEACE: Artists Making a Kinder World, is an innovative art-based, hands-on curriculum that teaches emotional learning and essential social values like kindness and compassion, and important life skills such as conflict resolution and analytical thinking, while teaching social studies, science and other STEM skills. We have now worked with more than 30,000 students – from kindergarten to college age in North Texas.
Piece 24 Project, a collaborative project with students from two at risk high schools (Sunset and Adamson), professionals, and volunteers to create Piece 24 of the 29 Pieces of sculpture, for which the organization is named (currently existing as models). This project will give students the opportunity to learn the principles of 29 Pieces and MasterPEACE.

The Dallas LOVE Project, an extension of MasterPEACE, is a city-wide art exhibition in which 20,000 people created 10,000 pieces of LOVE art to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. This art was exhibited at 66 venues across the Metroplex, many along the Kennedy motorcade route. Through the local, national and international press, 185 million people were exposed to the LOVE Project.
Peak Street Studio Workshops use art, writing, and mindfulness to create a personal piece of artwork based on the words of the visionaries who inspired the 29 Pieces.

Teachers, counselors and administrators become our good friends and collaborators … and our most vocal advocates. Here are just a few testimonials:
“This year 29 Pieces is embarking on bold plains to not only grow MasterPEACE across Texas schools, but to engage two historic at-risk DISD schools (Sunset and Adamson) in an endeavor to create Piece 24 of the 29 Pieces. Our school is a proud participant in the MasterPEACE program, and we share the enthusiasm and vision for bringing the arts into the lives of students and for providing them with real experiences of teamwork and creativity that they will remember and draw upon for the rest of their lives.”

— Lynn Smith, Principal

Maya Angelou High School for Pregnant and Parenting Teens

“29 Pieces’ MasterPEACE lessons support our work in social and emotional learning at Salesmanship Club’s Jonsson School and they will do the same for any school.”

Sandy Nobles, Director of Education

Momentus Education

“Lifenet Texas was honored to serve as a host site for the Dallas LOVE Project. Our partnership with 29 Pieces began as an exercise in therapy for the children we support through our Young Minds program. However, our adult clients were instinctively drawn to it and it grew into a learning experience for the thousands of men and women we serve who are living with a mental disorder. We ended up with a collection of more than 200 unique pieces of art - each revealing a personal discovery of a love inspired by inner peace. We were amazed to see how quickly our clinic became a home of happiness.

We’re so thankful to Karen and the entire Dallas LOVE Project team. A year later, we see how the impact of this project supports our mission to rebuild lives.”
Russell Cook, Director of Marketing and Communications, Lifenet Texas

“As a teacher (DISD) I feel I have to teach the students values, respect, etc. before I can teach them content (educational) effectively. This program does that. The MasterPEACE program is teaching character traits.”

– Debbie Stein, 4th Grade Teacher

Gill Middle School, Dallas ISD

And from me, Karen Blessen, “Our goal is to awaken the artist in every child we work with. And when you awaken the artist, you awaken the love of making things, the love of creativity, and the pride of positive accomplishment. Like a flower turning to the sun, the joy on the faces of our students tells us that the hope of genuine social change has begun.”

– Karen Blessen, Founder and Artistic Director, 29 Pieces