Peace Fence

Peace

Fence

A Grassroots Project to Express Visions of Peace and Well-Being for the Planet

"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he or she sends a tiny ripple of hope. Crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these simple ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert F. Kennedy

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2007 Peace Fence

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Photos of all the panels may be seen by visiting every page of this web site.

In March, 2007, a group of friends were having dinner. One of them, Jean Bakewell, shared an idea she'd had - to transform an unsightly chain link fence that runs along the railroad tracks near her home in Ashland, Oregon, into a Peace Fence, a place where artists, non-artists, writers, children, poets, grandparents - people of all stripes - could post positive expressions about the human spirit and hopes for peace and the planet's well-being. The Peace Fence was born.

In the ensuing weeks, word of the project spread - enthusiasm is a contagious thing. Seven women organized the effort, but dozens of people contributed to the fence. And so, on the dark, blustery Saturday night before Mother's Day, 2007, a large group gathered to fasten 67 fabric panels to the fence - a Mother's Day surprise for the city of Ashland, Oregon.

Many more panels were subsequently added, and throngs of visitors walked the fence, many adding written comments of appreciation to a guest book posted nearby. The panels express each contributor's vision about the human spirit and hopes for peace. There are intricate quilts and beautifully sewn works, oil paintings on canvas, collages, batik and tie-died works, hand painted signs and statements. Below you'll see a sample. We intentionally kept partisan politics out of the project. You'll see no candidates or issues promoted; the Peace Fence is for everyone of all political persuasions.

The story continues. People in other communities around the country and Canada, inspired by the Fence, have created new panels which now hang among the original ones. Do you have an idea for a panel? Read details on how you can contribute a panel to the Fence. We'll hang your panel and publish a photo of it on this web site. View and listen to media coverage of the Peace Fence. Read what Fence visitors have written in our guestbook.

If you view every page on this web site, you'll see photos of all the Peace Fence panels. There are now over two hundred of them, and many new ones are expected to come in, in the weeks and months ahead. Keep watching this site for new photos.

This panel was created by ten veterans of the Viet Nam War from Oakland, California. At size twelve feet by six feet, it is the largest panel on the Fence. It was added on Mothers Day, 2008.