the Informer

Student art brought an awareness of violence prevention and world peace to the university’s campus last week. The “Lamb Umbrellas for Peace Project” was an event run through the Connections Health Education & Wellness Center and the Women’s Center to give students an opportunity to express their support for peace through the use of art.

“As a visual art project students get to paint the umbrella with their adaptation of what global peace means to them,” said Patricia McKenna-Grant, director of the Connections Health Education & Wellness Center. “The artist uses an umbrella as a symbol of safety. It is kind of universal because everyone uses an umbrella.”

The event was inspired by a worldwide program started by artist Matt Lamb, who involved relatives of 9/11 victims to use the painting of umbrellas to express their grief after loosing family members in the attack on the Pentagon.

Since 2002, the Lamb’s project has seen 900,000 individuals from 23 countries paint umbrellas to express their opposition to violence. His program then ends with a parade of the umbrella art. With 100 umbrellas painted on campus last week the “Lamb Umbrellas for Peace Project” was well received. “We have had a very diverse groups of students accessing the project, which I love,” said McKenna-Grant.

McKenna-Grant has been conducting violence prevention programs on campus for 10 years and said this has been the most successful program she has run. “It’s been an overwhelming response,” she said.

The project started as part of the “Take Back the Night March”, held on April 11, and the umbrellas will be displayed on Earth Day, April 22, where they will be hung from the ceiling in the Suisman Lounge of the Gengras Student Union.

Students Alex Pineiro and Stephanie Bettelheim painted an umbrella showing their hands beneath a peace sign. “It is both our hands holding peace,” said Bettelheim. Pineiro said she wanted to contribute after taking part in the “Take Back the Night March”.

Many students have posted pictures of their umbrellas on Facebook and McKenna-Grant is excited by the response. “It’s been an interesting little phenomenon. Everybody knows about the umbrellas and we are really proud of that,” she said.

With the success of the “Lamb Umbrellas for Peace Project,” McKenna is looking forward to holding the event again next year. “We will be doing this again next year and we hope to get more departments involved.”

For more information on “Umbrellas for Peace” you can go to Matt Lamb’s website at http://www.mattlamb.com/umbrellasforpeace.html. For more information on future events you can go to www.hartford.edu/wellness.