ABOUT 29 PIECES
About 29 Pieces
Jump to a Section:
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY
At 29 Pieces, we believe in the power of art to inspire positive social change.
Our story unfolds from an unlikely chain of events. In August 2000 , Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic artist Karen Blessen witnessed the tragic murder of a young man in front of her East Dallas home. Her response: to use her training as an artist to teach nonviolence. She began creating models for 29 sculptures embodying peace and officially founded 29 Pieces in 2005. She resolved to raise the voices of Dallas citizens through monumental art for monumental change, ensuring that future American streets would be peaceful places for all.
In 2007 , 29 Pieces launched its education program, Artists Making a Kinder World , using art to teach nonviolence in Dallas schools. We celebrate 12 consecutive years of this popular program, through which 29 Pieces has served over 80,000 students and more than 500 teachers in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
In 2013 , 29 Pieces successfully mounted the Dallas LOVE Project , marking the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination through citywide display of 10,000 pieces of LOVE art made by 20,000 Dallas citizens. Through local, national, and international press coverage, 185 million people were exposed to the project.
In 2015-16 , 29 Pieces embarked upon production of full-scale sculptures based on Karen’s 29 original models. Dallas public high school students from Sunset, Adamson, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Dallas Can Academy designed and crafted 29 Pieces’ first major public work, “PIECE 24: Make My Hands Respect the Things You Have Made” in collaboration with local artists. The Dallas Public Art Committee and Cultural Affairs Commission unanimously accepted Piece 24, and it now proudly stands on Jefferson Boulevard in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of South Dallas.
CLASSROOM PHILOSOPHY
TESTIMONIALS
"Having had the privilege of working with 29 Pieces for the last several years, I have seen firsthand the transformative power its curriculum can have on students’ lives. Students working with 29 Pieces gain self-confidence, becoming more verbally articulate and creativity expressive.”
— Erik Tosten, Art Teacher, W. H. Adamson High School, Dallas ISD
“Working with Karen Blessen, 29 Pieces and being endlessly delighted by the student’s inspirational and funny art made creating a mural with them a complete joy that I believe is apparent in the art we created together. I will forever admire these children and the child inside us all to see the best and most hopeful things in life.”
— Jorge Gutierrez, Artist, Cool Schools Community Parks mural project. (Salazar Elementary)
“To see an art project in play that is bringing this creativity out is just phenomenal to watch. The children were totally engaged and it was exciting to see the development of learning in them through art.”
— Lea Beach, Former Principal of L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary School, Dallas ISD
“The opportunity to create artwork for The American LOVE Project was both challenging and rewarding. This teacher-student collaboration on The American LOVE Project brought back creativity and magical synergy that the Covid-19 pandemic had zapped.”
— Cheryl Gordon, Art Teacher, Sun Valley Elementary School, Birmingham ISD, Alabama
“Again and again, students, faculty and staff who have been a part of the 29 Pieces Education program come away renewed, inspired and prepared to use their own creativity to make the world better. This has been one of the richest learning experiences I believe any one of us had had, and it is a profound model of what is possible when educators are allowed to collaborate with the community and with experts in diverse fields to design learning environments that engage everyone at the school at the highest levels.”
— Karen Isbell, Teacher, Conrad High School, Dallas ISD
“[29 Pieces lessons] re-empowered my belief in humanity and everyone’s ability to change the world. It also broke down my belief that I can’t be creative or that my art and soul are inadequate to be shared with the world.”
— Hailey Pacheco, Teach for America
"I have seen my students explore ideas of love, respect, giving and their personal heroes. More importantly, I have seen my students grow in confidence to express their voice, not only verbally but artistically as well. The lessons have been powerful in scope and having their artwork visible all over our school is a constant reminder of the lessons learned… It is so important that we don’t lose our sense of wonder as we get older and more focused on our school and careers. A five-minute trip through the news cycle reveals our immense need for forgiveness and grace in our communities.”
— Bridget Smith, AP Human Geography/AP Macroeconomics teacher, Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, Dallas ISD
“Many children have been highly traumatized in their lives and 29 Pieces’ creative programs help traumatized children feel better about themselves and gain coping strategies.”
— Janet Perera, Guidance Counselor, L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary School, Dallas, TX, Dallas ISD
“[29 Pieces lessons] embed and promote important social and emotional skills such as mindfulness, empathy, respectful communication, self-compassion, emotional self-management, constructive decision-making, conflict resolution, and teamwork.”
— Menay Harris, Executive Director, Samuell Feeder Pattern, Dallas ISD
LETTER FROM FOUNDERS
FROM KAREN BLESSEN AND
DR. BARBARA MILLER, FOUNDERS
DR. BARBARA MILLER, FOUNDERS
