On Wednesday July 13, 2016 artist Stacey Ward Kelly gathered with friends, family and their children at the Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront park in Beacon, NY for her latest installment of the One World One People Peace Project. Also at the park this evening were usual park goers which the artist spoke to about her project: a men's volleyball league, families playing on the playground of all nationalities, and on the basketball courts: children (primarily African American) surrounded by their onlooking parents enjoying games with one another.
"Before our picnic began, my daughter and I went up to each group gathered at the park, and invited people to join us at our Peace Party picnic. I explained to everyone that the project was about bringing people together to have something positive happening to counteract what was going on right now in the world. Each person I spoke to seemed very sympathetic to what I was doing and thanked me for the invitation. It made me realize that we are all needing this connection from each other right now, this reaching out from stranger to stranger perhaps more than we know."
"Before our picnic began, my daughter and I went up to each group gathered at the park, and invited people to join us at our Peace Party picnic. I explained to everyone that the project was about bringing people together to have something positive happening to counteract what was going on right now in the world. Each person I spoke to seemed very sympathetic to what I was doing and thanked me for the invitation. It made me realize that we are all needing this connection from each other right now, this reaching out from stranger to stranger perhaps more than we know."