As the old Melanie song goes, "There's a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one." Peace came in my life and it was FREE! Gratis, thanks to an art project by Nicaraguan-born artist
Franck de Las Mercedes. This is my very first
Blog Blast for Peace, although I've used this platform to write about TW and Pop's involvement with the Peace Movement, going back to their childhood. This post, however, isn't about them. I thought I'd revisit the Peace Box Project aka Priority Box Project, which is still going strong a year after I originally wrote about it. You can read the post in the tab at the top of the page or
here. While you're reading, you can listen to songs of peace by clicking on the widget on the sidebar.
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| CK with her Peace Box |
"The Priority Boxes Art Series" started in 2006, during the height of the Iraqi war to spark dialogue and challenge people to reconsider their ability to influence change and question the fragility, value and priority given to concepts such as peace. Mr. de Las Mercedes personally paints boxes on the outside, turning them into miniature works of art, addresses them and includes stickers that read "FRAGILE. HANDLE WITH CARE. Contains: Peace" or one of about 20 other words. They're free, to remind us that peace and hope are not only free but also a priority. On his
Facebook page, you can see a sampling of some of the close to 10,000 boxes he's mailed out for free to more than 70 countries worldwide. The little kitty's picture is in there too!
The first boxes were sent to friends and then he placed an ad on Craig's List, to which he received over 100 responses. Since then, Mr. de Las Mercedes and the Project have received much media coverage and has just celebrated its 5th anniversary. Because of the volume of requests, it can take four to eight weeks to receive a box within the U.S., and up to 10 months outside of it.
The series is funded by the artist, contributions and "
Handle with Care" T-shirt sales. He hasn't been willing to accept a sponsorship that would brand his boxes. Keeping them free "sends a message that there are some things you can't put a price on, like peace, joy, hope, justice."
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| Peace flyer. Click to enlarge |
On the left is a sample of the Peace Flyers Project, which was launched in January. The concept is you can make a difference in your community by printing and posting one or more of these flyers for all to see, and take a symbol of Peace and Hope with them. You can download them as Word documents or jpegs from his
web site.
Mr. de Las Mercedes' art isn't limited to the Priority Box Project. He's an incredibly talented abstract artist in his own right, as you can see from the collage below.
For interested classrooms or companies, Mr. de Las Mercedes is giving Priority Boxes Workshops. Please contact nicolab@fdlmstudio.com
To request a "Priority Box," send an e-mail to
fdlmboxes@fdlmstudio.com. Please include your name, address and tell them you read about the boxes on this blog. Only ONE box will be sent per requester/e-mail. No, it's not cool to send for another one from a different e-mail cos that would be something a Republican would do. HAH! Everyone who requests one will definitely get one and Mr. de Las Mercedes would love to see pictures when your box arrives.
If you don't like to wait, for a $25 contribution, your 5 x 5 x 5 box will ship within a week of order. Proceeds help the artist cover the project's costs for shipping and supplies.
You can own a work of art for the asking. Art is not solely for the 1%. Now we, the 99%, can also enjoy it, thanks to The Priority Box Project.
