Expressive Arts in Peacebuilding

There is a magic that transcends the verbal that the Expressive Arts (what I call the Muse Arts in my work) is able to tap into in a very real, tangible and powerful way. The Muse Arts aren't new by any means, nor is the concept of using them for healing, transformation and bridgebuilding. For thousands of years people have used music and art forms to come together in peaceful ways, to express their content and/or discontent, to share their stories and their sufferings, to celebrate life and come together in harmonious interaction. Even during times of war, often there would be co-mingling and sharing between enemies around dance, music and festivities where both sides would enter sort of a "cease fire" to enter into this world between worlds that the portals of music and dance allow. The arts afford us such a beautiful window to let go of the overly cognitive processes and to enter into the "universal" qualities of our human experiences.

I am honored to be a part of the first official graduate program offered in this exciting arena: The European Graduate School of Saas Fee's Master's of Expressive Arts for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding! I'm barely a week into the program and seeing so much potential and opportunity for bridge building and impactful opportunities to bring people together and I sincerely look forward to exploring new and old ways of creative Peacebuilding where the Muse Arts are invited to help us to communicate when words and dialogue simply aren't enough.

Tags: Arts, Cheri, Conflict, European, Expressive, Graduate, Muse, Music, Peacebuilding, Power, More…School, Shanti, Therapy, Transformation

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Comment by Richard Close on December 26, 2011 at 12:16pm: Sheri

I would would like to share with you our expressive portal with African Youth

UNESCO gave us seed funds to launch a Social community and education workshop call ""I am Africa. This is my story..." http://i-am-the-story.ning.com. When doing the the digital story telling workshops in African the reason why this generation is rebelling again colonial and dictatorial system became obvious in the collaborative nature of cell and Internet technology. We were invited to do one lecture in the National University of Lesostho and back again for five times.

As a result we build a train-the-trainer program for people the Organization of African Youth.

Perhaps there is a way we could team up.

Feel free to contact me at rclose@richardclose.info

Richard Close

Comment by MaryBeth Morand on July 18, 2011 at 2:04pm: Thanks for your interest! Please feel free to contact me at marybeth.morand@egs.edu Here is a link to the website.

EXA-CT Masters at EGS Switzerland

The first year is off to a great start!!

Comment by Helen Rawling on July 18, 2011 at 4:31am: Really good to hear this - I am a PhD student in London and very much interested in how the arts are used in peacebuilding. Whilst the particular focus of my PhD is on museum projects (in Kenya and Rwanda) I am very interested in how performance art and theatre can be used - and also how how such arts can be a useful and sensitive research method/process themselves.

If any one has any thoughts and experiences they would like to share do drop me a message!

Comment by Paudyal, Dhruba P. on July 18, 2011 at 12:46am: Expressingly good enough. Healing, transformation, reconciliation and bridgebuilding are what the new and democratic culture is all about. To make develop such a culture is the main motto of peacebuilding and reconciliation which contemporary Nepal is seeking for. Could you please express more?

Comment by Dr Phil West on July 17, 2011 at 8:42pm: Sounds fantastic! I'll be in contact relating to some possible collaboration. We are a fairly new organisation in Australia and we support child survivors of war and terrorism through the creative arts

Comment by Dr Phil West on July 17, 2011 at 8:39pm: Sounds great!!!!

Comment by Chrissy Mahoney on July 17, 2011 at 6:29pm: Thanks so much Cheri, as an artist in peacebuilding this is a particular area of interest to me, and like Steve I have found the arts to be magic where there are language - and cultural - barriers. Although I have come to see that peacebuilding is an 'art' in iteself.

Is there much emphasis on theatre in your course? I look forward to hearing more .... your enthusiasm is wonderful ...

Best of luck !

Comment by James Osemene on July 17, 2011 at 6:22pm: Thats quite interesting. Ride on. See u at d top.

Comment by Steve Fryburg on July 17, 2011 at 3:46pm: This sounds like a very exciting program. Please keep us informed on your progress. Working in areas where language is a barrier I have found the arts to be a very useful peace tool.

Comment by Rene Wadlow on July 17, 2011 at 1:40pm: Best wishes, I would be glad to be kept informed as your program progresses

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