Students’ Murals Travel to Democratic National Convention
Three Guilford students contributed several large pieces to a traveling art exhibit on the human toll of the Afghanistan war, “Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the war in Afghanistan,” displayed at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
Layth Awartani ’12, Courtney Mandeville ’12 and Hannah Swenson ’12, all Principled Problem Solving Scholars, worked with the local American Friends Service Committee and the College community in 2010 to create four pieces in the exhibit. The exhibit made a stop at Guilford College’s art gallery during the spring of 2011. One of their murals, “What’s Left of Kabul,” has been selected to be a permanent part of a peace center in Afghanistan.
The American Friends Service Committee, Chicago Public Art Group and Philadelphia Mural Arts Program developed the project as a traveling memorial to the war’s civilian casualties. Over 40 artists nationwide contributed pieces. A group of high school students in Kabul also contributed drawings of scenes of their daily lives. The exhibit will be shown in 40 cities across the U.S. over a two year period.
Statement on the mural pictured, What’s Left of Kabul: “Using the Afghan flag as a backdrop, we chose to portray the poignant image of a young girl with her head in her hands. While the flag may represent national pride, her solemn face speaks volumes about the devastation and tragedy brought by war.”
For more information see the exhibit website, http://windowsandmirrors.org/
The Principled Problem Solving Scholars (PPSS) are a select group of rising second and third year students chosen through a rigorous application process each spring. Coming from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, scholars complete a year-long sequence of courses and engaged learning experience that builds their applied knowledge of Principled Problem Solving. The cornerstones of this program are creativity, critical thinking and practical application. Students selected for the program receive a $1,500 scholarship for the fall and spring semesters and additional financial assistance of up to $3,000 for summer internship expenses.
Guilford College also offers a Peace and Conflict Studies interdisciplinary major that studies the nature of conflict and violence, the possibilities of social change and the means for resolving and transforming conflict nonviolently. The major draws on Guilford’s Quaker heritage by seeking the roots of situations of injustice and oppression, exploring nonviolent social change, emphasizing each individual’s search for truth within different levels of community and focusing on practical problem-solving.
