UN PROGRAM MEMBER REPORTS
2014
____________________________________________________________________________
UN DPI/NGO Conference 2014
We are privileged to have a thriving WCA membership within the International Caucus' UN Program Committee. Members are going to more briefings, events, workshops and conferences than at any time in WCA's history and, as a requirement of membership, sending in thoughtful, educational and inspiring reports of these interactions at the UN.
Contents
Contents
- UN DPI/NGO Conference - Neda Moridpour
- UN DPI/NGO Conference - Simone Kestelman
- UN DPI/NGO Conference "Narrowing the Gap" - Liz Di Giorgio
- "Two Stories and a Chat -Musings and Ramblings on the DPI/NGO Conference" - Martha Nicholson
- UN DPI/NGO Conference - Mary Hamill
- UN DPI/NGO Conference - Mary Neubauer
- Blue Peace -Madeleine Segall-Marx
_____________________________
UN DPI/NGO Conference
Neda Moridpour
As one of the representatives of the UN Program/International Caucus of Women’s Caucus for Art at the 65th annual UNDPI/NGO conference in 2014, I found several of the sessions powerful. Personally, I enjoyed watching the documentary titled Meena shown in “How survivors struggle to end sex-trafficking-the best practices of Apne Aap.” MEENA is the adaptation of the brave and inspirational true story of Apne Aap activist Meena, as featured in Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's best-selling book ‘Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.’
It was thought provoking how artists could help to send the proper message through different mediums across the world. However, I always wish there were more men interested in these kind of topics (men’s violence against women, women’s rights, prostitution, etc.) who care enough to attend these sessions and to participate in the dialogue.
The most interesting panel for me was the “Engagement for creative action,” which I believe was the only panel that discussed the role of art in activism and social change!
It was a pleasure to meet Denise Restauri from Girl Quake, who writes about artists and activists highlighting their work on her website. Dan Bena, Senior Director of Sustainable Development, PepsiCo talked about how industries could have positive roles in activism while he also addressed their destructive roles!
Patrick Sciarratta from Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF), also presented their programs and the possibilities of artists engaging with communities.
Conclusively, it was such an honor to be able to be there with such an amazing group of people from around the world and to be able to have all the short and long conversations with some of them.
UN DPI/NGO Conference
Neda Moridpour
As one of the representatives of the UN Program/International Caucus of Women’s Caucus for Art at the 65th annual UNDPI/NGO conference in 2014, I found several of the sessions powerful. Personally, I enjoyed watching the documentary titled Meena shown in “How survivors struggle to end sex-trafficking-the best practices of Apne Aap.” MEENA is the adaptation of the brave and inspirational true story of Apne Aap activist Meena, as featured in Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's best-selling book ‘Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.’
It was thought provoking how artists could help to send the proper message through different mediums across the world. However, I always wish there were more men interested in these kind of topics (men’s violence against women, women’s rights, prostitution, etc.) who care enough to attend these sessions and to participate in the dialogue.
The most interesting panel for me was the “Engagement for creative action,” which I believe was the only panel that discussed the role of art in activism and social change!
It was a pleasure to meet Denise Restauri from Girl Quake, who writes about artists and activists highlighting their work on her website. Dan Bena, Senior Director of Sustainable Development, PepsiCo talked about how industries could have positive roles in activism while he also addressed their destructive roles!
Patrick Sciarratta from Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF), also presented their programs and the possibilities of artists engaging with communities.
Conclusively, it was such an honor to be able to be there with such an amazing group of people from around the world and to be able to have all the short and long conversations with some of them.
Liz Di Giorgio, Maureen B-B
, Madeleine Segall-Marx, Simone Kestelman
Madeleine, Simone and Mary - photo by Simone
_____________________________
UN DPI/NGO Conference
Simone Kestelman
First of all.... THANK YOU.
As you know, my work aims to raise awareness of the pain inflicted by the commodification of women from a young age—something that is around the world in a variety of ways. My intention is to drive more people to think and act to promote the protection of women and children in vulnerable situations.
I got very moved and inspired with a lot of things that I heard there.
Some words that touched me:
"Don't just dream. Fight for your dream."
"Drop your guns, pick up your pens,." Jeffrey Ruffines
" We are the future and we are here right now!"
"1 Billion person with disabilities. No one will left alone. "
"We cannot keep quiet. Even if 10 of us come out, at least 10 of us are doing something" Hadiza Balausman (made me cry)
"Without passion, nothing happens in life. But without compassion, the wrong things happen." Jan Eliasson
I always believe that art is an universal language and an excellent way to call attention to the conscience and thought, not only to the artists but to the society in general.
I felt that we can use our voice to help in any way...
I would love to do more and more...
UN DPI/NGO Conference
Simone Kestelman
First of all.... THANK YOU.
As you know, my work aims to raise awareness of the pain inflicted by the commodification of women from a young age—something that is around the world in a variety of ways. My intention is to drive more people to think and act to promote the protection of women and children in vulnerable situations.
I got very moved and inspired with a lot of things that I heard there.
Some words that touched me:
"Don't just dream. Fight for your dream."
"Drop your guns, pick up your pens,." Jeffrey Ruffines
" We are the future and we are here right now!"
"1 Billion person with disabilities. No one will left alone. "
"We cannot keep quiet. Even if 10 of us come out, at least 10 of us are doing something" Hadiza Balausman (made me cry)
"Without passion, nothing happens in life. But without compassion, the wrong things happen." Jan Eliasson
I always believe that art is an universal language and an excellent way to call attention to the conscience and thought, not only to the artists but to the society in general.
I felt that we can use our voice to help in any way...
I would love to do more and more...
___________________________________________________
UN DPI/NGO Conference: Narrowing the Gap
Liz Di Giorgio
Miwako and Riki Asai on air piano - photo by Liz Di Giorgio
|
Matthew Whittaker - photo by Liz Di Giorgio
|
Pam Hall - Photo by Liz Di Giorgio
|
In his closing remarks for the 65th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson spoke about the work of the UN and the NGO community as trying to narrow the gap between the world as it is and the world that should be. He noted that this work requires passion and compassion, adding that “without passion nothing happens in life, but without compassion, the wrong things happen.”
In the course of the 3-day conference, there was much passion and compassion in evidence as presenters and attendees sought ways to narrow that gap, and to leave no one behind.
One of the most impassioned speakers was Galina Angarova, New York Representative of the Tebtebba Foundation (Indigenous People's International Centre for Policy Research and Education). Ms. Angarova shared a personal story about visiting Nome, Alaska. She recounted that, while she struck by the beauty of the place, she was also struck by the fact that it was cheaper to get oneself intoxicated there than it was to feed oneself. She described her encounter with a group of people suffering the late stages of alcoholism and described in some detail what late stage alcoholism looks like. She noted that a year later she traveled to her own home village in Siberia to visit her relatives. To her great dismay, she discovered that the same devastation had engulfed her home village, including her own relatives.
Ms. Angarova compared this devastation to the memories of her youth, when her relatives were productively engaged in farming. She contrasted the devastation of her home village to a thriving community she had visited in Oaxaca, Mexico, where indigenous people own land and have access to resources. In their thriving community, they operate a lumber processing facility and a small furniture factory, producing furniture for schools with the help of government contracts.
Ms. Angarova stressed the need for indigenous peoples to have rights to land, resources and opportunities, and to not be simply thrown into mainstream society and expected to survive. She noted that indigenous peoples inhabit 22% of the surface of the earth, but that their regions contain 80% of the world’s biodiversity. She stated plainly that indigenous peoples know how to live sustainably, and that the world can benefit by including them in the Post-2015 Development Agenda as equal partners, and not merely as beneficiaries.
Nonhlanhla Mkhize, Executive Director of the Durban Lesbian and Gay Community Health Center, spoke about the dangers faced by LGBTIQ individuals around the world, who not only face discrimination, exclusion and poverty in their communities and countries, but also violence, rape and murder, often at the hands of family members, neighbors and childhood friends. She urged that the human rights of the LGBTIQ community not be left be left behind in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
I was inspired by the educators and students from Farleigh Dickinson University and Felician College. Their internship programs with the UN have resulted in so many students becoming engaged citizens, even changing their educational and career goals to encompass global concerns.
The most memorable event of the NGO conference for me occurred seemingly by accident, when a room change and my difficulty in logging onto the conference website led me to a workshop that I hadn’t planned to attend. The moment that I sat down, I noticed a radiant young man sitting across the room in his wheelchair. I’m not sure whether it was his joyful demeanor or that I perhaps recognized a fellow artist, but I found myself unable and unwilling to leave, even after discovering my error.
Cliff Frazier, Executive Director of the New York Metropolitan Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolence (NYMLK) moderated this
workshop, which was entitled “Health, Freedom and Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities.” Mr. Frazier began by listing individuals who had contributed greatly to society despite the disabilities that confronted them. His list included Stephen Hawking, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Beethoven, Helen Keller, Ray Charles, Jose Feliciano, and Barbara Jordan, among others. He also noted that one could replace “color” in civil rights language with “disability” and find that that much of the language would apply when discussing the challenges confronting the disabled. One panelist noted that in many developing countries, having a disability means being trapped within the confines of home for one’s entire life.
We soon learned the story of the young man named Rikiya “Riki” Asai, whose birth with cerebral palsy was at first a source of great turmoil and worry for his mother, Miwako. Ms. Asai spoke about the difficulties of raising a disabled child in her native Japan, and told of her journey to Hawaii to seek treatment for Riki, who could not speak, stand, or control much of his body. She described the moment when she wheeled Riki through a shop and saw him thrust his body towards a set of watercolors on display. That was the start of a new and fulfilling life for Riki, as he has continued to paint from that day up until the present. Riki has since learned to communicate with the help of technology, and his life in an assisted living facility allows his mother to work and support him in other ways. Their devotion to each other was abundantly clear, and Ms. Asai explained how her life has been transformed by the privilege of raising a young man as loving, kind and cheerful as Riki.
After watching a video about Riki and his award-winning exuberant paintings, we had the privilege to witness a moving dance performance by Pam Hall, who gave a graceful and, at times, athletic performance with the aid of her wheelchair. Last of all, we were treated to a brilliant performance by young pianist Matthew Whitaker, whose performed to the delight of all, especially Riki and his mother, shown here playing “air piano.”
It was such a privilege to witness the power of art to transform the lives of these disabled young people. The workshop also strengthened my belief in the power of art to start important conversations, to address vitally important issues, and to peacefully effect positive change around the world.
In the course of the 3-day conference, there was much passion and compassion in evidence as presenters and attendees sought ways to narrow that gap, and to leave no one behind.
One of the most impassioned speakers was Galina Angarova, New York Representative of the Tebtebba Foundation (Indigenous People's International Centre for Policy Research and Education). Ms. Angarova shared a personal story about visiting Nome, Alaska. She recounted that, while she struck by the beauty of the place, she was also struck by the fact that it was cheaper to get oneself intoxicated there than it was to feed oneself. She described her encounter with a group of people suffering the late stages of alcoholism and described in some detail what late stage alcoholism looks like. She noted that a year later she traveled to her own home village in Siberia to visit her relatives. To her great dismay, she discovered that the same devastation had engulfed her home village, including her own relatives.
Ms. Angarova compared this devastation to the memories of her youth, when her relatives were productively engaged in farming. She contrasted the devastation of her home village to a thriving community she had visited in Oaxaca, Mexico, where indigenous people own land and have access to resources. In their thriving community, they operate a lumber processing facility and a small furniture factory, producing furniture for schools with the help of government contracts.
Ms. Angarova stressed the need for indigenous peoples to have rights to land, resources and opportunities, and to not be simply thrown into mainstream society and expected to survive. She noted that indigenous peoples inhabit 22% of the surface of the earth, but that their regions contain 80% of the world’s biodiversity. She stated plainly that indigenous peoples know how to live sustainably, and that the world can benefit by including them in the Post-2015 Development Agenda as equal partners, and not merely as beneficiaries.
Nonhlanhla Mkhize, Executive Director of the Durban Lesbian and Gay Community Health Center, spoke about the dangers faced by LGBTIQ individuals around the world, who not only face discrimination, exclusion and poverty in their communities and countries, but also violence, rape and murder, often at the hands of family members, neighbors and childhood friends. She urged that the human rights of the LGBTIQ community not be left be left behind in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
I was inspired by the educators and students from Farleigh Dickinson University and Felician College. Their internship programs with the UN have resulted in so many students becoming engaged citizens, even changing their educational and career goals to encompass global concerns.
The most memorable event of the NGO conference for me occurred seemingly by accident, when a room change and my difficulty in logging onto the conference website led me to a workshop that I hadn’t planned to attend. The moment that I sat down, I noticed a radiant young man sitting across the room in his wheelchair. I’m not sure whether it was his joyful demeanor or that I perhaps recognized a fellow artist, but I found myself unable and unwilling to leave, even after discovering my error.
Cliff Frazier, Executive Director of the New York Metropolitan Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolence (NYMLK) moderated this
workshop, which was entitled “Health, Freedom and Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities.” Mr. Frazier began by listing individuals who had contributed greatly to society despite the disabilities that confronted them. His list included Stephen Hawking, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Beethoven, Helen Keller, Ray Charles, Jose Feliciano, and Barbara Jordan, among others. He also noted that one could replace “color” in civil rights language with “disability” and find that that much of the language would apply when discussing the challenges confronting the disabled. One panelist noted that in many developing countries, having a disability means being trapped within the confines of home for one’s entire life.
We soon learned the story of the young man named Rikiya “Riki” Asai, whose birth with cerebral palsy was at first a source of great turmoil and worry for his mother, Miwako. Ms. Asai spoke about the difficulties of raising a disabled child in her native Japan, and told of her journey to Hawaii to seek treatment for Riki, who could not speak, stand, or control much of his body. She described the moment when she wheeled Riki through a shop and saw him thrust his body towards a set of watercolors on display. That was the start of a new and fulfilling life for Riki, as he has continued to paint from that day up until the present. Riki has since learned to communicate with the help of technology, and his life in an assisted living facility allows his mother to work and support him in other ways. Their devotion to each other was abundantly clear, and Ms. Asai explained how her life has been transformed by the privilege of raising a young man as loving, kind and cheerful as Riki.
After watching a video about Riki and his award-winning exuberant paintings, we had the privilege to witness a moving dance performance by Pam Hall, who gave a graceful and, at times, athletic performance with the aid of her wheelchair. Last of all, we were treated to a brilliant performance by young pianist Matthew Whitaker, whose performed to the delight of all, especially Riki and his mother, shown here playing “air piano.”
It was such a privilege to witness the power of art to transform the lives of these disabled young people. The workshop also strengthened my belief in the power of art to start important conversations, to address vitally important issues, and to peacefully effect positive change around the world.
_________________________
Two Stories and a Chat
Musings and Ramblings on the DPI/NGO Conference
Martha Nicholson
Five workshops, four roundtables, 2 luncheons and manychatsinthehallways later, I am in need of seepage time and a way to let all of this move through me and take hold.
A Chat
Chatting in the Mid-Day Heat
On line and waiting for the noon start of registration. Our cool dry New York summer has suddenly found it’s path back to hot and muggy. Four of us are standing together and two of us chat in English. He introduced the three as Burmese, the other man and the woman in traditional deep green silk, as husband and wife. The husband is still, with eyes to the ground. His face is weathered, hair white and aged beyond his years. He is a recent release from prison for ethnic minority activist work. Three years. His friend and I talk about Burma. My father had been in Burma during WW II, my brother, several years ago. He was interested in my experiences there during the seventies. They were children then. I shared my observations, he asked questions and his friend joined in, speaking in Burmese, evident that our English conversation had been understood. It was quiet talk. Thoughtful. Boundaries respected by all of us.
The gatekeepers signal the line to start moving. Small smiles and a farewell nod. I am relieved to move slowly into the shade.
Two Stories Still Rippling
One: Maasai Women Take the Mike
UNA Best Practices/Finland/Jenni Kaupplia
Jenni Kaupplia is a tall tough Finn. She rose up, looked directly at her audience and spoke. There is no need to speak up for other communities, simply open up opportunity channels for them and they will take care of it themselves. The channel was video recorders and mikes. She distributed them to Maasai women in Tanzania. No agendas, no planned scenes, no scripts. It immediately brought Mary Hamill’s work to mind.
Jenni put the dvd on and the images rolled. The Maasai women are tall, regal, robed, direct and forceful. Clear about what the issues were and what solutions they wanted. Straight into the camera. Mikes in hand.
Let us all take our girls to school.
It’s good for a family to have one voice, man and woman together.
The wind stopped and the water supply disappeared. I must walk many many
miles to get water.
A reticent nine year old girl looked sideways into the camera and said I don’t want
to be traded for camels. I don’t want to be married to a man much older than I am.
I want to stay in school.
Gender issues, vulnerability, child marriage, climate change, equity. Familiar problems to all of us, global problems, stated unequivocally with no hesitation and no fear. Immediate needs given voice.
Two: A Child’s Truth Rests on the Surface of Rocks
Recovering Stolen Childhoods/Amber Eriksson/Mental Wellbeing in the Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan.
The Za’atari camp sits in the desert of Jordan. Heat, sand dust. 115,000 Syrians jammed tightly into a sprawling tent city of 1.4 square miles. 4000 Syrians fleeing the war stream in daily, seeking safety in Jordan. They carry tales of unspeakable horror and death. Simply surviving demands immense courage, endurance and resilience. They describe al ghourbeh, which denotes a sense of exile and feeling like a stranger out of place.
For the children of Za’atari, who comprise close to 60 percent of the camp dwellers, their direct experiences, what was witnessed and their current displacement cause large scale psychological problems that go largely unaddressed. Most are unschooled, many are without families. Boys often join gangs, and child marriage is frequent for girls. Both offer short term stability but a dismal future for the long term. To survive, they are often forced to walk a threatening tightrope.
Amber Eriksson works at the camp through OMEP, and does psychological intervention with children under five. This lively optimistic young woman described the children’s situation, what the consequences are for experiencing childhood under these circumstances and how difficult it was to work in the camp. No resources, no materials, not even dolls for play therapy. It demanded being both resourceful and imaginative. She discovered one resource with an unending supply....the rocks on the desert floor. Simple and endless...always at your feet. One child grabbed a rock and said this one is my father, chose another, this one is my mother. Using the rocks as he would dolls, told Amber what had transpired.
Both Amber and Jenni, with the best intentions and kindest instincts, simply gave the women and children the opportunity to speak their own truths. Both were brimming with concern and compassion for those whose lives bear the brunt of inequality, displacement and violence.
Both of them enlarged the meaning of making small things happen well.
Each day of the conference was filled with stories about the power of courage, the strength of imagination, and the possibility of constructing what comes next. Each day brought new acquaintances and endless talk filled with compelling questions and thoughtful responses.
I am heartened and uplifted by my time at the UN and grateful for the opportunity to participate.
Two Stories and a Chat
Musings and Ramblings on the DPI/NGO Conference
Martha Nicholson
Five workshops, four roundtables, 2 luncheons and manychatsinthehallways later, I am in need of seepage time and a way to let all of this move through me and take hold.
A Chat
Chatting in the Mid-Day Heat
On line and waiting for the noon start of registration. Our cool dry New York summer has suddenly found it’s path back to hot and muggy. Four of us are standing together and two of us chat in English. He introduced the three as Burmese, the other man and the woman in traditional deep green silk, as husband and wife. The husband is still, with eyes to the ground. His face is weathered, hair white and aged beyond his years. He is a recent release from prison for ethnic minority activist work. Three years. His friend and I talk about Burma. My father had been in Burma during WW II, my brother, several years ago. He was interested in my experiences there during the seventies. They were children then. I shared my observations, he asked questions and his friend joined in, speaking in Burmese, evident that our English conversation had been understood. It was quiet talk. Thoughtful. Boundaries respected by all of us.
The gatekeepers signal the line to start moving. Small smiles and a farewell nod. I am relieved to move slowly into the shade.
Two Stories Still Rippling
One: Maasai Women Take the Mike
UNA Best Practices/Finland/Jenni Kaupplia
Jenni Kaupplia is a tall tough Finn. She rose up, looked directly at her audience and spoke. There is no need to speak up for other communities, simply open up opportunity channels for them and they will take care of it themselves. The channel was video recorders and mikes. She distributed them to Maasai women in Tanzania. No agendas, no planned scenes, no scripts. It immediately brought Mary Hamill’s work to mind.
Jenni put the dvd on and the images rolled. The Maasai women are tall, regal, robed, direct and forceful. Clear about what the issues were and what solutions they wanted. Straight into the camera. Mikes in hand.
Let us all take our girls to school.
It’s good for a family to have one voice, man and woman together.
The wind stopped and the water supply disappeared. I must walk many many
miles to get water.
A reticent nine year old girl looked sideways into the camera and said I don’t want
to be traded for camels. I don’t want to be married to a man much older than I am.
I want to stay in school.
Gender issues, vulnerability, child marriage, climate change, equity. Familiar problems to all of us, global problems, stated unequivocally with no hesitation and no fear. Immediate needs given voice.
Two: A Child’s Truth Rests on the Surface of Rocks
Recovering Stolen Childhoods/Amber Eriksson/Mental Wellbeing in the Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan.
The Za’atari camp sits in the desert of Jordan. Heat, sand dust. 115,000 Syrians jammed tightly into a sprawling tent city of 1.4 square miles. 4000 Syrians fleeing the war stream in daily, seeking safety in Jordan. They carry tales of unspeakable horror and death. Simply surviving demands immense courage, endurance and resilience. They describe al ghourbeh, which denotes a sense of exile and feeling like a stranger out of place.
For the children of Za’atari, who comprise close to 60 percent of the camp dwellers, their direct experiences, what was witnessed and their current displacement cause large scale psychological problems that go largely unaddressed. Most are unschooled, many are without families. Boys often join gangs, and child marriage is frequent for girls. Both offer short term stability but a dismal future for the long term. To survive, they are often forced to walk a threatening tightrope.
Amber Eriksson works at the camp through OMEP, and does psychological intervention with children under five. This lively optimistic young woman described the children’s situation, what the consequences are for experiencing childhood under these circumstances and how difficult it was to work in the camp. No resources, no materials, not even dolls for play therapy. It demanded being both resourceful and imaginative. She discovered one resource with an unending supply....the rocks on the desert floor. Simple and endless...always at your feet. One child grabbed a rock and said this one is my father, chose another, this one is my mother. Using the rocks as he would dolls, told Amber what had transpired.
Both Amber and Jenni, with the best intentions and kindest instincts, simply gave the women and children the opportunity to speak their own truths. Both were brimming with concern and compassion for those whose lives bear the brunt of inequality, displacement and violence.
Both of them enlarged the meaning of making small things happen well.
Each day of the conference was filled with stories about the power of courage, the strength of imagination, and the possibility of constructing what comes next. Each day brought new acquaintances and endless talk filled with compelling questions and thoughtful responses.
I am heartened and uplifted by my time at the UN and grateful for the opportunity to participate.
______________________________
UN /DPI/NGO Conference
Mary Hamill
As one of the representatives to the United Nations from the Women’s Caucus for Art, I found a number of the sessions I attended at the 65th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference meaningful. For me, one was outstanding: “The Roundtable on Sustainable Development: Food, Water, Sanitation, Energy.” Why? Not because of the information presented there: it was mostly familiar. And the presenters said nothing about art, little about education. No, what captured my imagination was where I was sitting and who was sitting next to me. We were in the awe-inspiring circular Trusteeship Council Chamber, seated in the places normally occupied by official representatives from the member states. And the colleague on my right, about whom I knew nothing, had just arrived from Liberia. His job as an indigenous professional in an NGO there is to work with the young men in the slums of Monrovia; he has two purposes: to help them develop skills for employment, and, most important, to get them to give up the weapons of war that they horde in their homes. In my view and in his, such young men are at the cutting edge of world change, whatever directions it may take. The two of us talked about how small the UN’s impact seems these days for this critical population. At the end of the session I gave him my card, loaned him a pen, posed at his request for a picture (attached), and shook hands good-bye. We had talked about the genocide and massive violence in his city. We had alluded to the ebola outbreak there and the coverage that was beginning to appear daily on the front page of the New York Times. I have read all the articles on Liberia every day since then. The incubation period for the ebola virus, so potent it might be passed in a handshake, is 21 days. The incubation period for my understanding of global affairs to make its way into my art is much longer.
UN /DPI/NGO Conference
Mary Hamill
As one of the representatives to the United Nations from the Women’s Caucus for Art, I found a number of the sessions I attended at the 65th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference meaningful. For me, one was outstanding: “The Roundtable on Sustainable Development: Food, Water, Sanitation, Energy.” Why? Not because of the information presented there: it was mostly familiar. And the presenters said nothing about art, little about education. No, what captured my imagination was where I was sitting and who was sitting next to me. We were in the awe-inspiring circular Trusteeship Council Chamber, seated in the places normally occupied by official representatives from the member states. And the colleague on my right, about whom I knew nothing, had just arrived from Liberia. His job as an indigenous professional in an NGO there is to work with the young men in the slums of Monrovia; he has two purposes: to help them develop skills for employment, and, most important, to get them to give up the weapons of war that they horde in their homes. In my view and in his, such young men are at the cutting edge of world change, whatever directions it may take. The two of us talked about how small the UN’s impact seems these days for this critical population. At the end of the session I gave him my card, loaned him a pen, posed at his request for a picture (attached), and shook hands good-bye. We had talked about the genocide and massive violence in his city. We had alluded to the ebola outbreak there and the coverage that was beginning to appear daily on the front page of the New York Times. I have read all the articles on Liberia every day since then. The incubation period for the ebola virus, so potent it might be passed in a handshake, is 21 days. The incubation period for my understanding of global affairs to make its way into my art is much longer.
_____________________________
UN/DPI/NGO Conference
Mary Neubauer
I relayed copies of the United Nations NGO Final Declaration to colleagues at Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, which encompasses not only Visual Art but Theatre, Dance, Film, Music, Design, and Architecture. Our new Dean, Dr. Steven Tepper, was very supportive and responsive, as were a number of faculty members who are concerned with geopolitical and climate issues. As well, I spoke to each of my classes in depth about the meeting, and this has had an impact on the subject matter the students have addressed in their courses as well as on the direction of the dialogue in classroom dicussions.
In retrospect, I would have to say that the UN experience has changed my life and my priorities, and given more force to the direction I have wanted to go in my practice. In response to Ban Ki-moon's remark that even if the problem seems overwhelming, even the smallest effort can make a difference.
I feel that I have been able to truly take some positive actions in the world as a result of what I learned. I have applied the input that I gained from the UN meeting to two conferences for which I am now on the planning boards.
The first conference is an Art/ Ecology/Technology Conference entitle BalanceUnBalance 2015. http://www.balance-unbalance2015.org/.
This international interdisciplinary conference has been going on for about four years and will be held at Arizona State University Mar 27-29, 2015.I was able to book several galleries for the installation of the visuals arts work for this conference. A series of my print works in the Climate Change series will be shown at the School of Sustainability.The following topics will be discussed at Balance UnBalance:
• water access and scarcity
• salinity and changes to water tables
• expanding deserts
• management of urban growth
• urban engagement non-urban environments
• climate change
• climate impact on weather patterns
• disaster management
• climate impact on cultural practices
• noise pollution
• acoustic ecology
• environmental awareness
• community action
• social change
• change making
The Second Conference is the International Sculpture Conference, to be held in Phoenix in November of 2015. A call for papers will soon go out, and will also include environmental topics. http://www.sculpture.org/documents/programsandevents/conferences/conf.shtml So keep an eye out for for this event. Hopefully some of you can attend these conferences.
I applied for three grants, all inspired by the UN experience in combination with my ongoing work in data visualization of environmental issues. Two grants have been funded, one for an installation on climate entitled "The Weather Room" for Glendale, AZ, another for interactive flying sculptures that echo human/ animal communications, and the 3rd grant, specifically on the topic of global worming, is still pending.
In summary, I have been trying to apply a different perspective on the purposes of art to my own practice since the August DPI conference and have been working hard on these upcoming conferences and exhibitions pertaining to some of the topics that were most important in the eyes of the UN NGO meeting.
All the Best, Mary
___________________________________________
UN/DPI NGO CONFERENCE
Madeleine Segall-Marx
From August 27-29 several members of the Women’s Caucus for Art had the opportunity to attend the DPI/NGO Conference at the United Nations. There are over 1,300 NGOs associated with the UN’s Department of Public Information, and this year, 902 were in attendance. A tsunami!
Quoting the conference’s Concept Note, the purpose of this meeting was to “harness the strategies, expertise and resources across the broadest spectrum of civil society to move poverty eradication, sustainability, human rights and climate justice into the mainstream discourse, and spark sustained public demand for lasting political action in support of an ambitious outcome from the Post-2015 sustainable development process.” This is indeed ambitious - the doing, and the inculcation into the consciousness of “regular people” of the importance of these issues, making the world aware that time is of the essence.
Needless to say, there was plenty to listen to, much to be thought about, and opportunity to meet and network with all kinds of people who want to be, and who have already done something about, making the world better.
A great pleasure was engaging with fellow artists from WCA. What a potent combination all at one lunch table in the cafeteria!
I took notes. It’s a habit. As I cannot share with you the wealth of thought of this conference, I can pluck from my notes some phrases that popped out to me, and list them as I found them, chronologically over those three days. It kept crossing my mind that perhaps I will use these phrases to build a large wall work one day. For now, they seem to me to comprise a poem, which I shall call
BLUE PEACE
A time of turmoil, but also of tremendous opportunity
Freedom from fear and want
Will our shared aspirations be the right ones?
The world is a mess
Say with hope, Good Morning.
If you are not named, you are not counted
Problems ignore boundaries
Non-killing is the greatest religion
Waste is an act of violence.
Sustainability implies no threat to the future
Lifestyle is cause and solution
Inequalities are both cause and effect.
____ is the most dangerous place to be born
If you don’t go forward, you are going backward
Planetary boundaries
Definition of groups
Outer space perspective.
If you don’t believe in miracles, then you are not a realist
We send youth into conflict, but they are not mature enough to be invited to peace talks.
We the people
We the peoples.
How they want to live their lives.
BIG DATA SCIENCE
Mining data
Curating data
Visualizing data
Applying data.
Poor people are first and most affected
No time to wait
Small islands are losing
We know there is no Plan B.
Carbon neutral world
Never take a knife to a gun fight
From space the masters of infinity
Go directly to net zero approach
Ice wisdom
Water is the nexus
Water – daughter - slaughter
Asymmetric relational conflict system
Blue peace.
Without passion nothing happens
Without compassion the wrong things happen
Politics, profit, power
Bold action.
UN/DPI/NGO Conference
Mary Neubauer
I relayed copies of the United Nations NGO Final Declaration to colleagues at Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, which encompasses not only Visual Art but Theatre, Dance, Film, Music, Design, and Architecture. Our new Dean, Dr. Steven Tepper, was very supportive and responsive, as were a number of faculty members who are concerned with geopolitical and climate issues. As well, I spoke to each of my classes in depth about the meeting, and this has had an impact on the subject matter the students have addressed in their courses as well as on the direction of the dialogue in classroom dicussions.
In retrospect, I would have to say that the UN experience has changed my life and my priorities, and given more force to the direction I have wanted to go in my practice. In response to Ban Ki-moon's remark that even if the problem seems overwhelming, even the smallest effort can make a difference.
I feel that I have been able to truly take some positive actions in the world as a result of what I learned. I have applied the input that I gained from the UN meeting to two conferences for which I am now on the planning boards.
The first conference is an Art/ Ecology/Technology Conference entitle BalanceUnBalance 2015. http://www.balance-unbalance2015.org/.
This international interdisciplinary conference has been going on for about four years and will be held at Arizona State University Mar 27-29, 2015.I was able to book several galleries for the installation of the visuals arts work for this conference. A series of my print works in the Climate Change series will be shown at the School of Sustainability.The following topics will be discussed at Balance UnBalance:
• water access and scarcity
• salinity and changes to water tables
• expanding deserts
• management of urban growth
• urban engagement non-urban environments
• climate change
• climate impact on weather patterns
• disaster management
• climate impact on cultural practices
• noise pollution
• acoustic ecology
• environmental awareness
• community action
• social change
• change making
The Second Conference is the International Sculpture Conference, to be held in Phoenix in November of 2015. A call for papers will soon go out, and will also include environmental topics. http://www.sculpture.org/documents/programsandevents/conferences/conf.shtml So keep an eye out for for this event. Hopefully some of you can attend these conferences.
I applied for three grants, all inspired by the UN experience in combination with my ongoing work in data visualization of environmental issues. Two grants have been funded, one for an installation on climate entitled "The Weather Room" for Glendale, AZ, another for interactive flying sculptures that echo human/ animal communications, and the 3rd grant, specifically on the topic of global worming, is still pending.
In summary, I have been trying to apply a different perspective on the purposes of art to my own practice since the August DPI conference and have been working hard on these upcoming conferences and exhibitions pertaining to some of the topics that were most important in the eyes of the UN NGO meeting.
All the Best, Mary
___________________________________________
UN/DPI NGO CONFERENCE
Madeleine Segall-Marx
From August 27-29 several members of the Women’s Caucus for Art had the opportunity to attend the DPI/NGO Conference at the United Nations. There are over 1,300 NGOs associated with the UN’s Department of Public Information, and this year, 902 were in attendance. A tsunami!
Quoting the conference’s Concept Note, the purpose of this meeting was to “harness the strategies, expertise and resources across the broadest spectrum of civil society to move poverty eradication, sustainability, human rights and climate justice into the mainstream discourse, and spark sustained public demand for lasting political action in support of an ambitious outcome from the Post-2015 sustainable development process.” This is indeed ambitious - the doing, and the inculcation into the consciousness of “regular people” of the importance of these issues, making the world aware that time is of the essence.
Needless to say, there was plenty to listen to, much to be thought about, and opportunity to meet and network with all kinds of people who want to be, and who have already done something about, making the world better.
A great pleasure was engaging with fellow artists from WCA. What a potent combination all at one lunch table in the cafeteria!
I took notes. It’s a habit. As I cannot share with you the wealth of thought of this conference, I can pluck from my notes some phrases that popped out to me, and list them as I found them, chronologically over those three days. It kept crossing my mind that perhaps I will use these phrases to build a large wall work one day. For now, they seem to me to comprise a poem, which I shall call
BLUE PEACE
A time of turmoil, but also of tremendous opportunity
Freedom from fear and want
Will our shared aspirations be the right ones?
The world is a mess
Say with hope, Good Morning.
If you are not named, you are not counted
Problems ignore boundaries
Non-killing is the greatest religion
Waste is an act of violence.
Sustainability implies no threat to the future
Lifestyle is cause and solution
Inequalities are both cause and effect.
____ is the most dangerous place to be born
If you don’t go forward, you are going backward
Planetary boundaries
Definition of groups
Outer space perspective.
If you don’t believe in miracles, then you are not a realist
We send youth into conflict, but they are not mature enough to be invited to peace talks.
We the people
We the peoples.
How they want to live their lives.
BIG DATA SCIENCE
Mining data
Curating data
Visualizing data
Applying data.
Poor people are first and most affected
No time to wait
Small islands are losing
We know there is no Plan B.
Carbon neutral world
Never take a knife to a gun fight
From space the masters of infinity
Go directly to net zero approach
Ice wisdom
Water is the nexus
Water – daughter - slaughter
Asymmetric relational conflict system
Blue peace.
Without passion nothing happens
Without compassion the wrong things happen
Politics, profit, power
Bold action.