The sixth annual Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding and Nonviolence Conference titled “Achievements in Peacebuilding: Stories from the Field” will begin on October 25, 2018, at Avila University. In addition to Avila’s First-Year Seminar and Activist-in-Residence program, the annual conference is a signature component of the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence (BIPN).
The three-day conference is a partnership between Avila, Park University, Johnson County Community College, and the International Relations Council of Kansas City. Sponsored by BIPN in partnership with the School of Visual and Communication Arts (VisCom), the program at Avila University will feature a guided papermaking workshop with Drew Matott, founder of the Peace Paper Project. Matott is a master papermaker with expertise in traditional papermaking. Since 2011, the Peace Paper Project has had over 30,000 workshop participants and helped launch forty papermaking programs that use papermaking as a form of healing and community engagement. Matott’s papermaking workshop will be held outside Avila University’s Marian Center between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
After the conclusion of the Peace Paper workshop, a screening of “The Visitor,” starring Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, and Danai Gurira will begin at 4:30 p.m. inside the Dallavis Studio on the Avila campus. Immediately following the film screening, BIPN will host a reception in the Thornhill Gallery. The day’s events will conclude with a panel discussion beginning at 7:00 p.m. featuring Mattot, Avila’s Artist-in-Residence Dr. Michalis Koutsoupides, and quilting instructor Danya Kerr from the non-profit organization “Once We Were Refugees.”
These events are free and open to the public, however since space is limited, registration is required.
Register for the Peace Paper Project activity.
Register for the 6th annual Peacebuilding & Nonviolence Conference.
Avila University, a Catholic University founded and inspired by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, is a values-based community of learning providing liberal arts, professional, undergraduate and graduate education to prepare students for responsible, lifelong contributions to the global community. Our approach to education brings out the best in our students, so they can bring out the best in others.