Peace through photography.

Have you ever used a camera like you would a paintbrush, pencil, or crayon? Photographs can tell a story, share a personal meaning, help others see the world in a new light, and express your feelings in a variety of ways.

Now that digital cameras are becoming available, taking pictures can be much easier and more affordable than ever before. Since there is no film to buy (images are recorded in the camera's computerized memory) you can simply delete and retake any photos that you feel are not as good as the others. Before taking a picture, a digital camera also lets you "see" your subject on a larger screen than provided by a standard view finder. In addition, it is possible to print your own photos directly from the camera's disk or memory stick, using a color printer. All of these features provide the photographer with more personal control over the appearance of the finished photographs.

In the summer of 2002, a group of teens from Cyprus used digital cameras, donated by Eastman-Kodak, to create a series of photos that symbolized their personal hopes and dreams for peace in their divided homeland. The teens had been brought to Washington, D.C. to spend time creating art and getting to know and understand each other. The International Child Art Foundation and the Fulbright Cyprus Commission organized the three-week program called, "Peace Through Art." Cyprus is a Mediterranean island country populated by two separate cultures, Turkish and Greek. The two cultural communities have spent years in isolation from each other following a bitter war.

In one art project during the program, the teens were instructed to use their new cameras to capture close-up images of objects or people that seemed to represent or stand for the ideas of "'myself, peace, friendship, hope, love, beauty, dreams, trust, happiness, unity, and home." Later, using their developed photos, the teens selected the most meaningful images and used them to create "photomontages" (collages made from photographic images) on black background panels.

In making a photomontage, shapes and figures within the photos are cut away from their backgrounds. The cut photos are then arranged, overlapped, and mounted (glued) on a new background. Interesting left over scraps of photo cuttings can also be used to help repeat and tie together colors, shapes, and textures in the work. The finished result is a composition in which the eye is fooled by figures and images that appear to be three-dimensional or coming toward the viewer. In their montages, the teens followed a general theme of peace and unity, using the close-up photos they had taken of personal symbols. After arranging the cut photos to create their compositions, the teens were instructed to enhance the overall image by drawing and/or writing words or figures in gold, silver, or black marker.

The finished montages were strikingly framed and put on display at a reception held at the Capitol in Washington. Many of the personal symbols chosen by the teens for their montages were similar for both the Turkish and Greek groups. This demonstrates their friendship as well as a genuine desire for peace at home.