Participant Instructions: 

1) make your crane, and 2) add to the tree by using a small piece of scotch tape to attach your crane to the strings hanging down.  Small step ladder is provided.

The Long Story by Shelly Farnham:

Perhaps you, like me, have been struggling with the dissonance of living in our current times. 

Here in Seattle, I am shielded in the comfort of my day-to-day life. Yet, I’m deeply aware of  tectonic political shifts rumbling under my feet like a distant earthquake. On the national front,  fascist tendencies are threatening our basic human rights and principles of democracy. Internationally, similar fascist and expansionist tendencies in the form of Vladimir Putin are sending in brutal soldiers to murder, rape, and kidnap the children of their newly democratic neighbor Ukraine.

My biggest fear — what if we turn a blind eye — like Americans did to the expansion of Nazi Germany in the ’30s and ’40s?

It’s easy to feel helpless, what can we do as one person? Not much, to be honest. The reality is that our power is in our numbers, and our power as Americans is in our wealth as a nation. It’s not just about expressing your individual voice, it’s about how we as a community, working together, can express a much larger voice — the message: we support democracy, we support the self-rule of a sovereign nation, we support Ukraine. 

Where to start? Yes, vote. Yes, call your congresspeople to support sending funding and arms to Ukraine. Yes, go to rallies. But also, yes, meditate on the issues at hand. Turn your attention toward that earthquake rumbling in the distance. Train yourself to join grassroots efforts that allow us to express our desires through the power of our collective voice and our collective purse. 

To that end, I made a peace tree!  Yes, for our “Fly-By” art show at Passable, I made a tree upon which to hang origami cranes in the name of peace. Here’s the mission: meditate on our goal of supporting Ukraine, practice working together collectively toward peaceful and pro-democracy outcomes, and create a physical manifestation of our support. Take pictures and send them to all of your friends and representatives.  We Must Pay Attention. 

If you can’t make one tonight, it’ll be up all month!