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St. Cloud State University
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Students pen cards for cause
By Drew Sandholm
Published:
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Media Credit: Jon Arenz
SCSU graduate student Choden Bhutia (left) and senior Tshering Idnani, both from India, pick out postcards to send to Minnesota state representatives addressing their concerns on the situation in the Middle East. Many students and faculty visited the postcard booth in Atwood lobby Monday and Wednesday afternoon.
Media Credit: Jon Arenz
Postcards made by art students in Art 290/296 and Art 390 along with help from students at Jefferson Elementary School are available to send to a Minnesota state representative. The purpose is to address any concerns about the lingering war in the Middle East. It was free of charge for the postcard and postage.
As America unites in support of a war on Iraq, a number of SCSU students united for peace.
An entourage of students at SCSU wanted to communicate their opinions to legislators regarding the controversial possibility of war.
By the power of the pen, they did just that.
Hundreds of hand-decorated postcards depicting peaceful images were issued to passers-by at the Atwood Memorial Center Monday and Wednesday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
These colorful postcards, designed to capture the attention of the individual politician, gave students a convenient opportunity to voice their opinions to their desired political recipient. Although no two postcards were alike, all carried "Postcards for Peace � Words for Change" as their theme.
The idea for the postcards first started with SCSU student Jessica Conkel, who developed a two-credit independent study project in art education. She wanted to utilize art for peace education through postcards that display peaceful images.
Conkel took her idea, which she coined "Postcards for Peace," to her instructor, Kathryn Gainey, assistant professor of art education at SCSU. Gainey enthusiastically presented the postcard idea to her classes. Interest in "Postcards for Peace" grew quickly. After Harry Davis, graduate student and assistant director of the Write Place, learned of the postcard idea, he collaborated with Conkel and Gainey to make "Postcards for Peace" happen.
"Together we are collaborating from art students to the Write Place and decided to have a table to put it all together," Gainey said.
Images on the postcards are all unique and serene. The students who hand-decorated the cards are from the visual arts or elementary school art classes at SCSU.
The basic shapes and colors of elementary style drawings on the postcards draw attention and intrigue the viewer. By using these simplistic styles, children are brought to the focus of the postcards as well.
All postcards showed the artists rendition of how they envision peace, whether it be pictures of the sun shining or smiling children skipping rope.
Surprisingly, the messages on the postcards were as varied as the images, although they held a common theme.
"People have been talking about their fear of going to war with Iraq. They are thinking about the real repercussions of this," Davis said.
Students from both sides of the issue voiced their opinion at the table. As it is an increasingly hot debate topic, student opinion was varied. It appeared as though the visiting student population's viewpoint was divided regarding the Iraq resolution.
"I am not for war. A lot of people will wind up getting killed on both sides," said Emily Schultz, an SCSU student after writing her postcard. "This ("Postcards for Peace � Words for Change") is a great idea. It is the little things like this that make a difference and really count."
The intended recipients of the postcards are up to the individual student, but were designed for Minnesota state legislators. With the elections approaching, these politicians are certainly busy this time of year. Bombarded with volumes of mail on a daily basis, the volume only increases closer to Election Day. One might wonder how these postcards will attract the attention of these powerful politicians. The uniqueness of the artistic design of the card is unlike anything a politician normally receives.
"These (postcards) are going to grab their attention with the beautiful artwork. Then they will turn it over to see what is written on the card," Gainey said.
Organizers, Gainey and Davis, called "Postcards for Peace � Words for Change" a success. With each student's permission, Davis has photocopied almost all postcards. He would like to display them in the AMC for all to view. The impact of this event is expected to inform senators and legislators of their constituent's opinions regarding the war on Iraq.
"People seemed to appreciate the opportunity to have a forum for their voice and ideas," Davis said. "There was a lot of great conversation here in addition to what was being written. It was a neat opportunity and a great experience."
