Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy (GPFAA) will take part in an International art and literacy project, Pinwheels for Peace, by “planting” pinwheels in the form of a giant peace sign covered with messages for peace. This art installation and public statement in support of International Peace Day on September 21 will take place on the GPFAA campus grounds at the corner of High School Drive and 2nd Street/Stadium Drive in Grand Prairie, Texas. The installation portion of the project will take place throughout the day on September 17 and the open exhibition will begin on September 18. The community is invited to stop by and visit the art installation and support International Day of Peace.
Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. In the first year, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on September 21 - there were approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning throughout the world. Last year (year 9), 2013, over 4.5 million pinwheels were spinning in over 3,500 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and South America. This project is non-political – peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war, it can be related to violence/intolerance in our daily lives, to peace of mind. To each of us, peace can take on a different meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: “a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.”
On September 21, keep a lookout for the pinwheels – the spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country and the world! For more information, go to http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com.
ABOUT GRAND PRAIRIE FINE ARTS ACADEMY
Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy (GPFAA) is an open enrollment, public school for grades 6-12 with a focus on advanced academics and advanced fine arts. It is one of the many schools of choice within the education portfolio offered by the Grand Prairie Independent School District, located in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The school uses an application and formal audition process to select students for one of the seven fine arts strands of study: Art, Band, Dance, Mariachi, Orchestra, Theatre and Vocal Music. GPFAA provides students with a rigorous academic environment, encourages artistic excellence and provides professional enrichment activities along with multiple opportunities to showcase their talents. For more information, please visit www.gpisd.org/gpfineartsacademy.