Give Peace A Chance

A Vision Of Peace Through Young People's Art

peace exhibit poster

  • Exhibit: December 3, 1984 through January 18, 1985
  • Reception: December 7, 1984

In 1984, Give Peace A Chance - A Vision Of Peace Through Young People's Art was conceived and organized by Dottie McElhiney. It showcased over 300 works of art by local Bay Area K-12 age school children who created images of their vision of peace. Due to Dottie's efforts over 650 works of art were submitted! There was only a limited amount of gallery space, but the exhibit was extended into Meiklejohn's halls allowing over 100 additional images to be displayed. The department chair, Dr. Ed Jay said, "We had their paintings and comments posted all over the Museum and in the halls for about a week... Dottie organized it in collaboration with some Oakland and Hayward schoolteachers. She also arranged for prizes, and a student from Sharon [Jay]’s fifth grade class in an East Oakland school won first prize in his age group. He was a Native American and had learning disabilities, but loved to paint. His prize was a set of paints and art supplies, for which he was very grateful."

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