THE SEEDS OF 29 Pieces were planted with a bullet, the bullet that murdered a man in front of Founder Karen Blessen’s house. A Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and illustrator, Karen reacted to the tragedy by using the tools of her profession. Engaging, involving, and inspiring our country’s youth to use art to learn, share and live the ideals of non-violence and kindness became the unifying goal of the organization known as 29 Pieces founded by Karen and Dr. Barbara Miller in 2005. Since its inception, 29 Pieces has grown in numbers and impact. Through art-based lessons in social and emotional learning, 29 Pieces has reached more than 120,000 students with its Artists Making a Kinder World curriculum and trained more than 1000 educators. AMAKW lessons in English and Spanish are free, at: artistsmakingakinderworld.org.

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29 Pieces uses art to awaken, uplift, and give voice to the creative human spirit to make genuine, positive social change. THE AMERICAN LOVE PROJECT meets a moment in time when Americans feel divided, traumatized by the Covid-19 pandemic and increasingly longing for the light of LOVE and HOPE. How will we come together to solve the urgent issues facing our nation? With The American LOVE Project, produced by 29 Pieces, we create a vision – pictures – to show us who we are and how we will realize the promise of our nation. The goals of The American LOVE Project are to expand the successful 29 Pieces education model used in the Dallas LOVE Project and to lead educators, students, artists and non-artists across the nation in art-making and dialogue about the power of love and art.

 

Over 600 DCPS students artworks were submitted for the Love Project.