Peacekeeping Project

The Peacekeeping Project is an ongoing project looking at the complexity of human conflict, identity and belonging. In war, the desire for power overwhelms the desire for cooperation and security, fueled by the desire for belonging. To have lasting peace requires vigilant understanding of power, belonging and identity. 

In the early 1970s, I grew up watching the Vietnam War on television. I saw how photojournalists risked their lives to observe and record what was happening. At the same time two other historic events illustrated the power of journalism, the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. At a time when I was the most curious about the world, these events influenced my interest in journalism. Many people were inspired to act by seeing how journalists perform a crucial role on behalf of citizens to seek the truth. I wanted to be a foreign correspondent and war photographer. I wanted to observe and record what I saw in order to serve something larger than myself. I love photography, which is part of my process. But the still analog and ancient tools of painting and drawing allow for a deeper level of observation. The slowness of the process enables a way to observe and record what is seen, as well as what is felt, and then to examine and reflect on what it means. 

I want to help people look at complexity. I want to inspire people to participate in the world, to have a direct and immediate relationship with what is happening in the world, with history, with art and with ideas. I believe in the importance of critical thinking and asking difficult questions. I also want to draw attention to the crucial function of independent journalism and its role in a free and self-governing society. It is our responsibility to be aware of what’s happening in the world, and to do what we can to participate.