Cities of Peace: Difference between revisions

The [[Ellen Frank Illumination Arts Foundation]]'s '''Cities of Peace''' exhibition displayshighlights areas of the world that have been wroughtaffected withby conflict. HerThe foundation's website reads:explains “Frank’sthat Ellen Frank's visit to Jerusalem in 1999 inspired her to produce the first painting in the series, and toenvisioned visualize the creation ofcreating other works representing additional cities that have survivedendured strife. Thethe series directsaims actionto throughtransform hopefulanguish energyinto beauty by celebrating the bestresilience of the human spirit,. transforming anguish into beauty.”<ref name="efiaf.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.efiaf.org/cities/citiesofpeace.htm |title=Cities of Peace: Honoring Cities in Strife - an ongoing project of the Illumination Atelier and Ellen Frank Illumination Arts Foundation Inc |access-date=2009-04-23 |archive-date=2009-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606190022/http://www.efiaf.org/cities/citiesofpeace.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Under the artistic direction of Ellen Frank, the project was produced by interns of many different origins at the Illumination Atelier of [[Ellen Frank Illumination Arts Foundation]].

The project was produced under the artistic direction of Ellen Frank and involved interns from diverse backgrounds at the Illumination Atelier of [[Ellen Frank Illumination Arts Foundation]]. The exhibition premiereddebuted inat the Laurie M. Tisch Gallery of the JCC Manhattan in 2005–2006, butwith thea most recentlater exhibition took placeheld on January 7, 2009, inat the [[Cathedral of St. John the Divine]] in [[New York City]]. As of now, theThe cities includedfeatured in the project areinclude [[Baghdad]], [[Kabul]], [[Jerusalem]], [[Beijing]], [[Hiroshima]], [[New York City]], and [[Lhasa]]. The project continues, with piecesfuture devotedworks toplanned otherfor cities such as [[Hanoi]], [[Seoul]], and [[Warsaw]].

Each painting of the series includes a gold leaf; Frank explains that this leaf symbolizes the necessity of understanding as a prerequisite for peace. In addition, a crimson leaf, meant to represent the color of human blood, is tucked into each piece in honor of the dead. According to Frank, each country's unique artistic traditions are incorporated in their respective paintings; these include illuminated manuscripts, embroidery, architectural mosaics, icons, tapestries, woodcarvings and metalwork, and [[micrography]].