What does violence look like in the city? How does in manifest itself?
This talk explores the many ways individuals go around to help stop violence, through art, education and sharing knowledge.
The panel will include Herman Davis and myself, a visual artist . Herman Davis a community activist, who is committed to serving the needs of individuals and families affected by violence. His work advocating against violence and its plague on the urban community is a labor of love. Davis found himself becoming a violence prevention activist out of necessity after his sister was murdered.
Davis has worked tirelessly on the development of the Youth Council for Peace and Love establishing an art based therapeutic way to encourage our youth to make better choices when faced with a challenge. Encouraging youth to use the arts as a vehicle for change – whether visual, spoken word, or lyrical art, etc. Peace and Love has visited more than 50 schools throughout the tri-state area and as far away as Virginia Sate University sharing the power of Peace and Love and encouraging youth to look at the alternative to violence.
For the past 12 years, I have lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and have worked as a “street photographer,” exploring the personal dramas of loss and violence that are “played out,” marked, and memorialized in the public spaces of the city. I am motivated by the need to document the ways in which survivors of the tragedy memorialized the loved ones who were killed. I remain attracted to urban subjects that are public expressions of personal grief or loss associated with racism and gun violence. My photographs are printed on a large-scale, generally 44’ x 30’.
I am currently compiling a list of all the homicide victims in Philadelphia from 1988 and onwards.
About the presentersGlen Sacks
I have a BFA in 1976 from University of the Arts in Philadelphia. PA and a MFA in 1990 from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.
Among other prizes, I was awarded: • The Rome Prize of the American Academy in Rome in 1991 • Arts International - NEA Programming Network Fellowship in 1993 • The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation NEA Regional Fellowship in 1994 • The NYFA Artist Fellowship in 1995 • USArtists International Grant in 1996 and 2000 • The 40th Street AIR Fellowship, Artist in Residence (U. of Penn) in 2009-2010.
Herman Davis
Herman Davis is an entrepreneur and community activist. Herman is also committed to serving the needs of individuals and families affected by violence. Herman is the COO of Peace and Love. The mission of the Peace and Love Movement is to serve as a collaborative social cause marketing platform committed to the positive promotion of world peace and non-violence.
Scott Charles
Trauma Outreach Coordinator for Temple University Hospital and Director of the Cradle to Grave Program, an award-winning violence prevention initiative showing the harsh realities of gun violence for public school students and adjudicated youth.
Hildy Tow
As Curator of Education at Woodmere Art Museum, she has worked with many Philadelphia public school principals and teachers to offer children and teenagers a multitude of ways to explore their own artistic abilities, develop critical thinking skills and appreciate the success of their efforts. Woodmere’s extensive outreach school program benefits thousands of children every year. She is also responsible for Woodmere’s Summer Community Project, a unique opportunity for students from diverse Philadelphia neighborhoods and age groups to work collaboratively on the creation of a public art installation for Woodmere’s Children’s Garden.