It’s been a long journey for the people of Ferguson and Michael Brown’s family since August 2014. By documenting the Paint for Peace effort that happened during the aftermath in November 2014, in the book Painting for Peace in Ferguson, and by visiting schools and community events in the years that followed, I have been fortunate to hear from many voices and people in the community of Ferguson during the past five years. Some voices were young and angry … some older voices we

From now until the end of July, a dozen Paint for Peace murals from Ferguson and South St. Louis will be on exhibit at the Stratford Library in Connecticut. The exhibit in Vicki Soto’s hometown will be the first time the actual “Paint for Peace” artwork will be on display outside the St. Louis area. The art tells the story that is not widely known in other parts of the country, of how the people of St. Louis and Ferguson came together to help their neighbors in crisis. What b

A lot has been happening behind the scenes with Painting for Peace in Ferguson of late, and we’re finally able to share the good news. Five years ago Newtown CT, and Ferguson, MO were just small towns that not many people had heard of before. Today these two communities share the fact that their names now stand for more than just a place. It’s been 5.5 years since the fatal shooting of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut

We’re excited to share that the most comprehensive exhibit to date of dozens of the original Painting for Peace boards will be featured at the 2017 national Urban League convention July 27-29 at the convention center in downtown St. Louis thanks to Regions Bank. Plywood boards which covered hundreds of storefronts following the unrest in November 2014 along the streets of Ferguson, Dellwood and St. Louis city were transformed into colorful and inspiring paintings by hundreds

Jordan DeWilde is an art teacher at Oregon Elementary in Oregon, IL. who came onto my radar in August 2016 when he started tagging Painting for Peace in Ferguson on Facebook. He’d created a collaborative art project about diversity and inclusion for his students based on the book. As I watched Jordan’s post more and more about his Painting for Peace project on Facebook, I had to know more. Just what was this project? Just who was this Jordan DeWilde? Turns out, Jordan’s a pre

COCA announces powerful community collaboration to kick off 30th anniversary season August 27 COCA (Center of Creative Arts) announces Outside In: Paint for Peace, an unprecedented collaborative community exhibition featuring a selection of the original murals painted on the boarded-up storefronts by amateur and professional artists in the days and weeks following the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Mo. The exhibition, opening August 27 at 10 a.m. at COCA, 524 Trinity Avenue, St.

Mary Krummenacher's father, Karl, had owned a camera store across the street from where she and Karen Bult painting their design. The painting depicts a hand in a peace gesture, and is covered with colorful peace signs. The caption - Shalom - is a Hebrew word, which means peace and completeness. Mary's father had been a fixture in the Ferguson business district from the early 1990's and had worked hard to bring businesses and growth the the area. "I met owners on that block w

In our newest book, Painting for Peace: A Coloring Book for All Ages, we featured stories from some of the artists that contributed to the artwork that inspired our books. Today, we are sharing the story of AJ Rosenberg, who painted the iconic peace dove AJ came with her daughter and friends up to Ferguson to paint on the week end after Thanksgiving. Coming from a family of mixed cultures and religions AJ and her family have always tried to live in places and be around people

WOW! We have done a lot of digging and we have found more than 150 people who took part in the painting efforts in Ferguson and South Grand. See the names below. We need your help! We have done our best to compile names of artists to credit in the book. Please review this list and let us know who is missing, who doesn't belong or who may be misspelled. If you have been credited inaccurately or simply don't want your name shared, please email us at paintingforpeace.book@gmail.

The children’s book, PAINTING FOR PEACE IN FERGUSON, written in verse by author Carol Swartout Klein tells the story of the community outpouring of hundreds of artists and volunteers who worked in Ferguson and along South Grand to transform boarded up windows into works of art with messages of hope, healing and unity. Published locally by Layla Dog Press, all proceeds after printing costs will benefit north county-area youth and art programs as well as the businesses and empl

Layla Dog Press and author Carol Swartout Klein are pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of a children’s book based on the Paint for Peace community effort in Ferguson and the South Grand neighborhood with an anticipated delivery date before year’s end. The book titled PAINTING FOR PEACE IN FERGUSON tells the story of the hundreds of artists and volunteers who worked to transform boarded up windows into works of art with messages of hope, healing, and unity. All pr