The Mission of Art of Reconciliation

Inviting Artists to Use the Power of Art to Bring Healing to Our Communities

Many artists believe that art can change lives.  Before people had access to the printed word, images were used to communicate with others.  The stained glass windows in churches, mosques and synagogues told the stories of these religions with color and light.  I have heard stories from people of how some of my pieces have had a profound impact on their lives.

The best story that I have come across so far about the power of art to change a life is the story of Charles Black. He was a Texan and an American scholar of constitutional law, which he taught as professor of law from 1947 to 1999.  Black loved jazz and in 1931 he heard Louis Armstrong play.  This made such a profound impact on him that he spent the rest of his life fighting for civil rights.  He was on the legal team that presented Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas to the Supreme Court.

The Art of Reconciliation invites artists to contemplate how their art might bring communities together.  We are envisioning groups of artists meeting regularly to challenge each other in their artistic communities to produce art that speaks to the heart and invites inclusion and accepting of the wonderful fabric of diversity found in the human cultures.

Inviting Galleries to More Diversity

The “white bubble” is revealed in the world of art.  The majority of the artists showing in galleries are white men.  In the art collection at the Portland, Oregon Museum of Art only 15% of the work is by women.

Inviting Collectors to Diversity

Many of you have traveled extensively and seen the beauty of many cultures.  You may already have collected art from other artists in other lands.  For those of you who have, please continue, and we can direct you to more of them, many living here in the Northwest.  Get to know them.  Taste their cultures with your eyes as you marvel at the images of their world.  Many of them would be very pleased to share their work with you and you can experience the beauty that comes from other peoples and cultures.

© 2014 Art of Reconciliation, Portland, Oregon   |   a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization  |  503 421-8214  |  PO Box 66612  97290