Peace: Biography of a Symbol book.
I just love it when my kids have a question, and I find an interesting answer with visual aids.
The peace symbol, which never really went away, has made a comeback in this time of war. My kids wondered how the circle design came to represent peace. "I can see a dove or a heart," my daughter said, "but how did they decide on lines in a circle?"
So, we went to the internet, and found the answer close to home. The Minnesota Historical Society has a fabulous web site documenting 1968, a turbulent time of social change in this country. The project, created by MHS and three other museums, includes a film competition: "A Circle and Three Lines" by Jan Selby won the Emerging Filmmaker Award. I recommend watching this film or wandering around the web site -- you're bound to find something that fascinates you.
That's one thing my children have learned growing up with a mom in the history profession: everything has a history. We often search the internet or the library for the history of whatever topic we're talking about at the time: cookies, the Olympics, jeans and, yes, the peace symbol.
I wish I had time to create an exhibit of Edina during the turbulent 1960s. Were there any student protests? What was local reaction to the Viet Nam war and the draft? If you would like to volunteer to research this issue, or have info to share, please contact me.
The peace symbol, which never really went away, has made a comeback in this time of war. My kids wondered how the circle design came to represent peace. "I can see a dove or a heart," my daughter said, "but how did they decide on lines in a circle?"
So, we went to the internet, and found the answer close to home. The Minnesota Historical Society has a fabulous web site documenting 1968, a turbulent time of social change in this country. The project, created by MHS and three other museums, includes a film competition: "A Circle and Three Lines" by Jan Selby won the Emerging Filmmaker Award. I recommend watching this film or wandering around the web site -- you're bound to find something that fascinates you.
That's one thing my children have learned growing up with a mom in the history profession: everything has a history. We often search the internet or the library for the history of whatever topic we're talking about at the time: cookies, the Olympics, jeans and, yes, the peace symbol.
I wish I had time to create an exhibit of Edina during the turbulent 1960s. Were there any student protests? What was local reaction to the Viet Nam war and the draft? If you would like to volunteer to research this issue, or have info to share, please contact me.
RSS Feed