About 29 Pieces

    ABOUT 29 PIECES

     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.

    29 Pieces simultaneously conducted the RESPECT Project, training 400 teachers in the RESPECT lesson, collecting 1,000 signatures on our RESPECT Pledge, and involving over 10,000 DISD students in making RESPECT art, exhibited in locations around Dallas.  

    In 2018-19, 29 Pieces partnered with the South Dallas Cultural Center to produce its second major public sculpture. A team of 12 African-American students representing various South Dallas public schools designed “PIECE 10: Souls Hidden” under the mentorship of 29 Pieces staff and collaborating local artists. PIECE 10, a human-scale glass sculpture symbolizing the mysterious qualities of seen and unseen worlds, is based on Abraham Isaac Kook’s poem, “Radiant is the World Soul.” It is part of South Dallas Cultural Center’s permanent collection. 

    In 2018-19, 29 Pieces partnered with the Emerging Teachers Institute of UNT-Dallas and Ashoka International to conduct DALLAS TEACHERS SPEAK, a city-wide campaign lifting up the needs and gifts of Dallas ISD teachers. Following the successful model of the 2013 LOVE Project, the campaign featured 159 of Dallas’ best teachers and their responses to questions: WHY DO I TEACH? and WHAT DO I NEED? 

    29 Pieces simultaneously conducted DALLAS STUDENTS SPEAK featuring student-produced portraiture of teachers making significant positive impact. DALLAS TEACHERS SPEAK posters were displayed at Dallas’ American Airlines center, Dallas ISD Headquarters, Dallas City Hall, Galleria Dallas, highly trafficked downtown areas, 32 DISD schools, and the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Student art was featured at the Dallas Central Library, Dallas City Hall, and at participating schools. 

    CLASSROOM PHILOSOPHY

    PEACE
    Peace is the framing concept and foundational value informing 29 Pieces’ teaching philosophy. It encompasses personal, interpersonal, community, and world contexts. We believe that – from inner serenity, to respectful conflict resolution, to prevention of hostility and war – kindness in all of these realms is the key to achieving peace.

    INTEGRATIVE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY
    We love big, inspiring ideas, so we have created lessons that flexibly combine the teaching of social values and life skills in the context of various academic disciplines. 

    STAYING POSITIVE
    It is our vision to awaken students’ creative power, elevating their quiet confidence in who they are and what they are capable of. We know that effective learning comes from experience, so we have designed lessons that activate students’ inherent creativity through discussion, experimentation, cooperation, and hands-on artmaking. 

    ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
    Great art does not require expensive materials or fancy equipment -- only curiosity, creativity, and ingenuity. That’s why we say that we love to make “something from nothing.” We make sure that all required art materials are things found in everyday life – things like dried beans, bottlecaps, buttons, and cotton balls – and things readily available in public schools like tempera paint, markers and colored paper. 

    LESSON STRUCTURE
    • Calming exercise 
    • Introduce word/primary concept of the lesson 
    • Present interactive lesson
    • Art Activity
    • Student presentation
    • Display

    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

    The next chapter in the story and work of 29 Pieces begins with this Artists Making a Kinder World website. 29 Pieces began our education program in 2007 with an earnest belief that art has the power to be an effective and meaningful vehicle for teaching the education of the human heart. Since then, we've developed 20 art-based lessons to teach social and emotional learning, served more than 80,000 students and trained more than 500 teachers in the North Texas area. Now it's time to expand what we say in our program name: Artists Making a Kinder WORLD. With the help of generous supporters, we are now releasing the first eight of our lessons to the world - in both English and Spanish, and in the hope that people everywhere will experience the power and beauty of what we have witnessed for the past 12 years in every single person we've worked with.

    — Karen Blessen and Dr. Barbara Miller

    FAQ

    Have some questions about our programs? Find the answers below. 
    • Are there any costs involved in using this curriculum?

      No. You can download as many lesson plans, presentations, and sample artwork from this site as you would like – all free of charge. Art projects can be done with basic materials available in most schools.



    • Who wrote this curriculum?

      Lessons in this curriculum were written by teams of teachers, counselors, school administrators, and artists working together.




    • Are lessons aligned with TEKS/Common Core?

      We are working on aligning all lessons with state (Texas) and national learning standards. You can find correlations with art learning standards for each lesson, grades 5-12. We will be adding additional correlations with various content areas for grades 5-12 over time.

    • What materials do I need to do these lessons?

      We stress that great art does not require expensive materials. We can “make something from nothing!” Thus, lessons can be done with basic supplies available in most schools. You can stretch the creative potential by collecting additional items that you may have at home, such as cotton balls, ribbon, buttons, cardboard, bottle caps, etc.



    • Is there specific software I need to do these lessons?

      The downloadable materials come in PDF and Powerpoint. You will need Adobe PDF reader and Microsoft Powerpoint for these files.



    • How do I share my experiences and feedback?

      Please send us your photos and stories at info@29pieces.org and we’ll feature you on our social media channels!



    • What have others said that the benefits are of using this curriculum?

      Teachers say that our lessons:


      Provide turnkey project based lessons that incorporate STEM objectives


      Open up possibilities for difficult conversations with kids


      Can be great platforms for including members of the community in schools (we’ve had landscape architects, therapists, yoga instructors, active local artists, and more local professionals join us in classrooms!)


      Offer deeply enriching experiences that students and teachers both look forward to


      Present powerful positive reinforcement and help students realize their power – especially those with behavior challenges

    • Is this only for art teachers?

      These lessons have been facilitated successfully across disciplines, including Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Engineering, in addition to Art classes.



    • How do I share on social media?

      We welcome your pictures on all social media! If you share your class’s art, please tag us! We encourage never sharing images of children without written parental consent on release forms.


    • What do I need to know to download and present the powerpoint?

      The powerpoint for each lesson is provided in English and in Spanish. The powerpoint will walk you through the lesson. Once downloaded, you can edit the lesson to meet your student’s developmental level.


    • Can I use this curriculum with students who have special needs or learning disabilities?

      Our lessons are flexible and accommodating of most abilities. We have presented them among refugee children, pregnant and parenting teens, children with PTSD, gifted, and at-risk students. They can easily be adapted for students with learning disabilities, using Universal Design techniques to present materials in a variety of formats, shortening the presentation to get to the art faster, or altering the art lesson to make it accessible to a range of verbal or motor abilities.



    • What grade levels is this curriculum most appropriate for?

      Lessons are most successfully facilitated among students ranging from 5th-12th grades. However, they can be modified for students as young as 2nd grade.



    • Can counselors use these lessons?

      Absolutely. The lessons are great vehicles for teaching social–emotional skills, for helping students access their “higher minds” to make healthy decisions, and for overall mental and emotional health. Additionally, the lessons are appropriate for small groups as well as large auditoriums.

    • Do you offer professional development?

      Yes, we are certified by TEA to offer professional development workshops for teachers. All professional development workshops will be held in Dallas during summer breaks. Please watch our website for the workshop schedule for the summer of 2020.


       

    • How do you handle copyright for your materials?

      We are happy for you to share these materials far and wide. If you use language from the materials in your own writing, please cite us as your source. “29 Pieces,” “Monumental Art Monumental Change,” and “Artists Making a Kinder World” are all trademarked property of 29 Pieces. If you do the LOVE Project in your school, district or city, we ask that you use our trademarked LOVE Project logo, and we will add your city’s name to the logo and send to you for your usage.



    • How do I seek press coverage for my class/school’s project?

      We believe that part of our mission is to let people know about the beautiful work that our students and adult participants create. We encourage you to call any press outlets near you, and send them a few clear and colorful digital images of the art that is being created, and ask them to consider doing a ‘good news’ story about your projects.



    • I have a success story – can I share it with you?

      Yes, please do! You can reach us at info@29pieces.org.



    • I have advice, comments or suggestions – can I share it with you?

      Yes, please do! You can reach us at info@29pieces.org.



    OUR TEAM

    Karen Blessen
    29 Pieces Founder and
    Executive Artistic Director

    Joe Stokes
    Senior Art Assistant

    Maria Patino
    Dolores Mendoza
    Hope Trevino
    Art Assistants

    Peter Wood
    Marketing

    Mauricio Navarro
    Public Relations Specialist

    Cindy Quandt-Guerra
    Bookkeeper

    Jennifer Hancock
    Development

    Bob Shema / 
    Design Block Zero
    Website Design

    Piece Corps
    Our team of 15 artists and educators who help facilitate lessons in classrooms

    BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    Karen Isbell

    President
     Teacher 
    Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Collegiate Academy 

    Dr. Barbara Miller, DDS

    Vice President & Founder
    Executive Director of Recruitment & Admissions
    Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry

    Diana O’Connor

    Secretary
    Librarian
    Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School

    Karen Blessen

    Founder, Executive Artistic Director
    29 Pieces

    Sondra Cox

    Member
    Human Resources Director
    Wilson Company

    Kelly Nash

    Member
    Geologist

    ADVISORY BOARD

    Adelita Sosa

    AnaVictoria Braun

    Annamarie Ciofani

    Bob Shema

    Candice Lindsay

    Candace Becher

    Eric J. Hale

    Joe Stokes

    Johana Linares

    Judy Stone-Nunneley





    Laura Hanel

    Liliane de Moraes

    Madison Dolph

    Melisa Durkin

    Naara Quiles

    Peter Wood

    Phoumy Keonine

    Rebecca Alexander

    Sandra Urton

    Dr. Vicki Millican


    MAJOR FUNDERS OF THE 29 PIECES EDUCATION LEGACY INITIATIVE

    THE M.R. & EVELYN HUDSON FOUNDATION 
    THE SIMMONS SISTERS FUND 
    ANONYMOUS
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