PROJECT:  All Join Hands: Visions of Peace

MURAL LOCATION: Ben Franklin High School, Broad and Spring  Garden St., 
Philadelphia, PA

DATE: 2005-06 (complete)

WORKSHOPS:   Selected workshops with teenagers and adults.  
					(click for selected workshop images)

MURAL ARTS PROGRAM:  Web listings of upcomming workshops and events.

NARRATIVE:  On September 22, 2005 the Philadelphia 
Mural Arts Program (MAP)in conjunction with the School District of 
Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services, and the Philadelphia Inquirer 
Editorial Board, launched All Join Hands: The Visions of Peace Project at Ben 
Franklin High School.  The project with lead artist Donald Gensler was created 
to raise awareness about the prevalence of youth violence in Philadelphia, 
investigate causes of violent behavior, and talk about solutions to these 
problems using art as a medium for discussion.  Philadelphia neighborhoods can 
often be defined by crime or violence, something that knows no boundaries in 
race, gender, or age.  Often families and communities begin to build an 
identity of loss through stories and memories of their loved ones lost through
violence.  Under this project, over a hundred youth and adults throughout the 
city are engaging in creative workshops, discussing their personal journey and 
experiences with violence.