Transformation: Alternative Visions of Peace Art Exhibit and Sale

A Celebration of Diversity

Dates & Times

January 25 - February 6, 2009

Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 12:00 - 4:00 pm

Opening Reception

January 25, 2009

3:00 - 6:00 pm

Workshops

Reservations requested, please call Darrell at 727-799-0683

Feb. 2, 2009 / 6:30-8:30 pm

Creating a Positive Community

Feb. 3, 2009 / 6:30-8:30 pm

Pro-active Communication

Feb. 5, 2009 / 4:30-6:30 pm

Conflict Resolution

Admission

Admission is Free

Sponsors

Red Circle Sponsor

Katee Tully and Helen Levine

William and Hazel Hough

You're Invited to the opening reception of the art show "Transformation: Alternative Visions of Peace", co-sponsored by The Studio@620 and the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), 3:00- 6:00 pm on Sunday January 25, 2009.

A celebration of diverstiy, the reception will highlight the artwork of 30 local artists as well as dance, music and poetry related to peace. The opening will feature patchwork pillows made by young women in the Quilt Project of the Florida Youth Arts Corps as well as the artwork of local artists and non-artists alike who joined together to create multifariously painted chairs.

Performing as part of the opening celebration will be Abasi Ote. Ote is known for playing World/Folk music and instruments including Didgeridoo, Tibetan Bowl, Conch Shell horn, Kalimba (African Mirba) to name a few. To see and hear some of his musical soundings go to : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pSmzrGAYYM .

Admission is free. Purchased artwork will benefit AVP, local artists and the studio @ 620.

Experiential Workshops

Mini experiential AVP workshops exploring the concept of transformative conflict resolution will be offered in The Studio gallery during the first week in February. Each one is unique. Workshops are limited to 15 participants. Please RSVP and reserve your seat by calling Darrell Hefte at 727-799-0683.

· February 2 6:30-8:30 PM : "Creating a Positive and Affirming Community"

· February 3 6:30-8:30 PM : "Practicing Pro-active Communication"

· February 5, 4:30-6:30 PM : "Transformative Conflict Resolution"

A team of experienced trainers will facilitate the workshops.

About AVP

Alternative Visions of Peace, known internationally as the Alternatives to Violence Project, is a non-profit organization which sponsors workshops in war-torn countries (such as Rwanda and Kenya, Columbia and Bosnia), in prisons and communities throughout the US, and around the world. Workshops involve basic building blocks of affirmation, community building, communication and cooperation skills, dealing with conflict management and resolution experientially, and introduction of the concept of Transforming Power which is at the core of the project. Participants examine violence as it surrounds us in our lives and how it is personal to each of us. By working and playing together, we discover ways to function more effectively and peacefully every day.

AVP Tampa Bay consists of a group of community volunteers who offer at least one workshop a month, often two, at Coleman Federal Correctional Complex, Women's Camp in central Florida as well as workshops for youth and adults in the Tampa Bay community. It currently has an active group of young adults in the Peace Studies Program at USF/Tampa working with students at the college. Dr. Darrell Hefte, Coordinator of AVP Tampa Bay, has also worked with children and youth using AVP principles through the Pinellas County School System, the Pinellas County Health Department; and with Family Services as part of a grant to serve the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pinellas County (KUNGA).
Come find out more about AVP during our Opening Reception on Sunday and during the week when AVP facilitators will be available to talk.

To find out more about AVP, please visit http://www.avpusa.org online or e-mail [email protected]

Contributing Organizations/Volunteers

Youth Arts Corp, A Program of Family Resources, Inc.: A free youth development, arts education, and job training program that uses the fine arts to help youth reach their potential. The opening will feature patchwork pillows made by young women in the Quilt Project of the Florida Youth Arts Corps at Wildwood Community Center. http://youthartscorps.org/

Community Volunteers: Local artists and non-artists alike joined together to create multifariously painted chairs.

About Abasi Ote

Abasi Ote Primal Instrument Creator, Musician, and Teacher.

Abasi Ote, a peace maker, musician, and primal instrument maker teaches participants of all ages to discover music anywhere, through innovation, adaptation, and borrowing from different cultures. Demonstrating traditional and indigenous instruments with special attention to those of Africa and Australia, Ote plays wooden flutes, didgeridoos, bull roarers, rainsticks, musical mouth bows, and clappers. He teaches audiences of all ages about the historical origins of these instruments and their relationships to the ecology and the cultures from which they are derived.

"Many children are becoming passive consumers at an early age," Abasi says. " Without elaborate toys, games, and media, they often regard their surroundings as inadequate or boring." Abasi's hands-on presentation encourages the audience to identify and make use of the bounty of human and natural resources all around us, creating a deeper sense of connection to the world.