ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question: How many countries have hosted “Pieces for Peace” workshops so far?
CITYarts is a nonprofit public arts and education organization founded in 1989 by Tsipi Ben-Haim, who created the organization because she wanted the voices of our youth to be heard. She developed five different programs that bring together children and youth with professional artists to create public art in New York City and beyond. CITYarts empowers youth through the creation of murals and mosaics that transform their community, impact their lives, and address social and civic issues.
Tsipi holds a B.A. from Tel-Aviv University and a Master’s degree from New York University. Outside of her work with CITYarts, Tsipi is an accomplished poet, writer, public speaker, and art critic for various magazines and foreign press outlets.
The Pieces for Peace project organizes workshops for young people between the ages of 10 and 18, in which they create a 6”—15cm.– square work of art that answers the question “What does peace look like to you?” The pieces are then assembled to form mosaics, which form a traveling exhibit which has so far visited a number of countries and is now in Spain, at the Jewish Community of Madrid, where it will be on display until the end of November.
We spoke with Tsipi about CITYarts and the Pieces for Peace project.