"From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit"
The University of Rochester will host the exhibition, "From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit," which addresses the disarmament of nuclear weapons, human security, and the role that ordinary citizens can play in creating a culture of peace. The exhibit runs Friday, April 9 through Sunday, April 11, at Hirst Lounge in Wilson Commons on the University's River Campus. The exhibit will be displayed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and is free and open to the public.
The exhibit's opening ceremony will be held on Friday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m., in the Gowen Room at Wilson Commons and will include addresses by Joel Seligman, the University's president; Robert Holmes, professor in the department of philosophy, Thomas Warfield, local peace activist and founder of PeaceArt International, and Takao Kato, a representative of Soka Gakkai International. Opening remarks will be followed by a musical performance by Eastman School of Music students.
"Transforming the Human Spirit" was created by Soka Gakkai International (SGI), and was inspired by the United Nations International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010). SGI is a worldwide lay Buddhist association and UN recognized non-governmental organization that promotes peace, culture and education. The exhibit has been on display at Cooper Union, Stanford University, Yale University, United Nations offices at Geneva, Switzerland and Oslo, Norway, and at the United Nations NGO conference in Mexico City, Mexico, among other international venues.
The three-day event is sponsored by the University's Value Creation Club and the undergraduate student organization Non-Violence On Campus. It is funded by the Graduate Organizing Group.
For more information about this exhibit, please call Dhruba Jyoti Basu Roy at 585.729.6146 or e-mail djbasuroy@gmail.com or call Wilbert Law at 217.721.1752 or e-mail wilbertlaw@gmail.com.