Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary

"Friends, Peace, and Sanctuary of Swarthmore College: a two-year project, supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, that connects the arts to historical and contemporary stories of refuge. Local Syrians and Iraqis worked with commissioned artists, writers and illustrators to create handmade books that explore connections between history and experience, displacement and refuge, empathy and belonging. Five artists - Islam Aly, Maureen Cummins, Erik Ruin, Courtney Bowles, and Mark Strandquist - were commissioned to create new works emerging from conversations with project collaborators and research in Swarthmore's Friends History Library and Peace Collection and archives elsewhere. These new works were featured in exhibitions in Swarthmore, Philadelphia, and beyond. At the close of the exhibitions, all project materials will be archived at Swarthmore College."--