April 28, 2016 A wonderful Kids Guernica Stop Motion film was created with children and adolescents from the Tennessee School for the Blind and gifted and talented first graders from the Discovery School.
Filled with colorful hot air balloons, a collaged sky, and happy children, Tennessee students from three different schools collaborated to create an international stop motion film called "Peace Is In The Air."
This innovative stop motion film highlights Tennessee children’s perspectives of peace. It is inspired by the International Kids Guernica Peace Mural Project, based in Japan.
In 2005, Dr. Debrah Sickler-Voigt and Mrs. Suzanne St. John created the first Kids Guernica Peace Mural from Tennessee with children from Mitchell Neilson Elementary’s Extended School Program. Our peace mural was exhibited in Bali, Indonesia as part of their 10th Anniversary international peace mural exhibition. Dr. Sickler-Voigt also created a peace mural in Brenderup, Denmark in 2011 during a study abroad program with Dr. Isaac Larison and Lone Bodekaer.
Peace Is In the Air revisits this theme using a different medium and students. This project is the first example of a Kid’s Guernica Peace Mural using stop motion film as its medium.
Under the direction of Dr. Debrah Sickler-Voigt, MTSU Pre-Service Teachers enrolled in Art Education Practicum planned the project’s activities. To make a connection to the original peace mural in Japan, the pre-service teachers appropriated the concept of the hot air balloon. Our project started at the Tennessee School for the Blind with the diligent efforts of Ms. Monica Leister.
In the diverse school settings, all students discussed the meaning of peace and developed the collage sky background to film their project. The students created visual representations of peace that included playing, cooking, resting, and spending time with family. The students from Tennessee School for the Blind utilized found objects to create colorful hot air balloons for the production and planned the stop motion film’s initial storyline. The three first grade classes from The Discovery School added singing sound clips and created the stop motion animations using art objects, found objects, and their bodies.
Peace Is In the Air also includes an original song about peace by musician Brian Shind and a professional music production by Dwayne Russell.
Our stop motion film adds to the collective body of International Kids Guernica peace mural projects created by children across our planet. It presents peace from the perspective of children in Middle Tennessee communities, including children who have special needs and children who are gifted and talented.
(Tennessee and Danish murals)
Debrah C. Sickler-Voigt, Ph.D.
Professor of Art Education
"Art Education: Thriving in Teaching & Learning” - Forthcoming Textbook
MTSU Senior Art Education Faculty
MTSU Scandinavia Study Abroad Program Director
ICEFA Lidice International Juror
