Peace

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2007 Peace Fence

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The Peace Fence gratefully acknowledges our sponsorship by Ashland's Lithia Artisans Market. http://www.lithiaartisansmarket.com.

We are grateful for the help and support Ashland's Peace House:  http://www.peacehouse.net.

"Let's Try Listening" by Pam Derby and Allysha Lavino, added to the Fence 9/11/07, commemorating the Compassionate Listening Project.

"Peace Tree" by Rose Otter, added to the fence on July 9, 2007

Various symbols of Peace, artist unknown. Added to the fence July 5, 2007

"You Have Friends in Norway" by Edwin, Leann, Alf, Andreas and Martin

By Wendy Eppinger

Since the first Fence panels were put up on May 12, 2007, several were added including panels from all over the country, Canada and Norway. It's a loooooooooooong fence, and we welcomed all panels that were positive expressions of peace and the planet's well-being. (We wouldn't hang panels that are essentially advertisements, nor overtly partisan, political or angry panels, even though such expressions might occasionally mirror our own. We wanted the Peace Fence to be a positive, harmonious expression of hope.) 

Now that the Peace Fence has been vandalized and destroyed (summer 2008), we no longer accept new panels for the Fence. However, we do accept artwork for our Peace Wall, which you can learn about on this site.

Or perhaps you'd like to create a Peace Fence in your own community. Here are some helpful tips we learned over the years:

• Material: The sturdier the better. We found stiff canvas, which comes in large sizes, is the most durable fabric to work with. Reinforce the panel's bottom two corners and hem the edges. On the top edge, sew a hem that is 3 inches deep, so that we can run dowel or 1"x 2" lumber through it or hammer in several grommets to distribute the weight of the panel evenly. Wind is a  factor. Flimsy panels will tear over time in gusty wind. 

• Paint: Exterior latex house paint holds up best. Some of our panels faded over time under the sun. We were disappointed that the supposedly indelible ink pens did no hold up well in the sun and weather. Other materials such as sewn fabric (quilted panels) work well. If you glue fabric onto fabric, be sure to use glue especially made for that. 

• Finish:  One of our contributing artists put a protective coating on her panel that prevented fading or flaking - which kept it looking the same as the day it was first hung. Asked what she used, she said, "I used a Golden (Company name) Clear Matte medium that I brushed over the surface of the paper parts then I brushed Golden Polymer Varnish with UVLS for protection from light and UV damage.  (Satin finish). I think it is the Matte medium that is the most important application to protect the surface.

•  Grommets:    Grommets in the corners work on lighter weight panels. Heavier panels tear over time when grommeted only in the corners. We attach the panels using nylon strapping, shown below. 

  Nylon strap