How does the Sanchez Art Center celebrate peace 20 years in Pacifica? With a two part pop-up exhibit with the works of children from around the world. Cindy Abbott, Executive Director of the Sanchez Art Center told me, “I had connected with Leia Alex, ED at Paintbrush Diplomacy last year. We spoke about opportunities for collaboration, and were waiting for the right time.”Highlighting the tragedy of war by presenting some of the art pieces they have collected in their archive titled “War, Peace, and Violence Through the Eyes of Children, coupled with art celebrating the hope of peace and friendship, presented the perfect opportunity.  Paintbrush Diplomacy is the creation of Char and Rudy Pribuss, a married couple who were inspired, while traveling throughout the world, to connect people utilizing art. This team hopes that art can be a unique way to bring people together and create greater cultural understanding.

The pieces Sanchez Art Center chose to display from Paintbrush Diplomacy were all created by children. As I looked at the exhibit, I noticed works from artists as young as nine. All the pieces were excellent, showing undeniable skill at these young ages. Some pieces were tragic – like the work of a nine-year-old from Croatia of a bleak fenced field littered with the murdered bodies of prisoners of war victims. Other pieces captured fear of immigrants and the sadness of loss. Still other art embodied hope for a better future.  The display was powerful; therefore, for those who did not see this one-time pop-up exhibit at the Sanchez, will remain on display through gallery hours on Friday, September 21 (1-5pm). If you can’t make it by, none of us miss the point – that our children are horrifically impacted by war. Peace Week is our opportunity to ask ourselves a hard question: what can I do about peace?