Pinwheels 2011-07-05: Jennifer Long ... jlong@okcu.edu, Carmen Clay ......clayc@casady.org, Bill Bryant ...... wildbill73107@cox.net, Joan Korenblit ... rdfrdf@cox.net, Mikel Ibarra ..... mikeliba@gmail.com, Steve McLinn ..... steve@ojasmusic.com, Gigi Hu .......... tyghu@hotmail.com, Clydia Forehand .. clydiaforehand@ou.edu, Joe Meinhart ..... Jmeinhart@okcu.edu, Mark Davies ...... mdavies@okcu.edu
These are my notes from the planning meeting for the International Day of Peace celebration at OCU -- also known as "Pinwheels For Peace."
In attendance were: Jennifer Long, Joan Korenblit, Steve McLinn, Gigi Hu, Joe Meinhart, Mark Davies, and myself (Bill Bryant). Our meeting convened in the 2nd floor conference room of the Dulaney-Browne Library at OCU.
The meeting was good, with lots of participation from everyone. There was a cordial atmosphere, and by the end of the meeting we were joking with one another and feeling a sense of our shared culture. Joe and Steve serenaded us with pop songs from the '70s.
Before ending the meeting, we walked over to the McDaniel Center (just west of the library), where we surveyed the Great Hall, the Shdeed Lounge, and the Quad.
LOCATION: The task of identifying a usable space for our celebration was high on our list of priorities. We felt that the Great Hall offers a nice area for performances, and the Shdeed Lounge (just outside of the Great Hall) can accommodate information tables for our partner groups who want to be co-sponsors of the event.
Pinwheels Contest: We're counting on Mikel and other teachers to help organize the production of pinwheels in their schools. Then, we anticipate that students and teachers will be invited to deliver their creations to OCU during the day on Wednesday, September 21st. Pinwheels will be planted on the Quad -- maybe all the way out to 23rd Street.
(With respect to putting art on display, Carmen has suggested that giant pinwheels could be created as part of a contest. And, that some pinwheels might be placed on the OCU campus as early as September 11th. We didn't talk about these ideas. Maybe at our next meeting we will).
Paper Cranes. Throughout the day on the 21st, the Great Hall will be used as a workshop area. A short film about Paper Cranes will be shown there, and students will be given instructions on how to create them. Gigi has a vision of how this part of the celebration will take place.
The Venue. Jennifer needs to check with Mary Benner about the availability of the Great Hall and Shdeed Lounge on the 21st. Nothing has been confirmed yet in this regard.
Performances. As in year's past, we expect that we will have good participation from various dance groups and musicians. We made a point to express how much we would like to make this event a showcase for some performers from OCU. Joe Meinhart will help us to extend our invitation to OCU singers, dancers, ensembles, etc.
(Carmen's draft flyer refers to Dr. Clydia Forehand as an additional resource for "Peace Songs." Dr. Forehand is affiliated with the Confucius Institute and OKITEA -- not to be confused with the Tea Party!).
Speakers. We'll need to have a good Emcee for the performance part of our celebration. Do we know who this person is yet? We think we might like to have a couple of featured speakers -- folks who can convey some words that are appropriate to the occasion. Everyone agrees that these messengers of peace should be people who recognize the value of brevity.
The Finale. The culmination of the performances will be some sort of interactive, participatory dance -- like we've had in the past. The Japan-America Society of Oklahoma -- JASO -- has an interactive peace dance that might be incorporated into this moment. If the weather isn't bad, we think we might move the entire celebration outside (onto the Quad) for this final part of the event.
OCU Things. We love the folks at OCU. Beyond providing a venue, they will be able to help us with lots of related things -- like, providing some publicity (news release), helping us get parking permits if we need them, and arranging for the tables & chairs, etc., that we will need. We are mindful of the university's need for assurances with respect to the safety and security of the campus. We'll comply with any special rules / regulations that might be required.
Flash Mob. Joan imagines that our Pinwheels Celebration may provide an opportunity for us to organize a flash mob. This is an idea that is brewing. A little more time is needed for the flavor of this activity to come out. We'll discuss it more at our next meeting.
Films for Peace. Carmen has in mind that we should show films with messages of peace, and she has a list of titles. We recommend that these films should be scheduled for September 18th -- the Sunday preceding the Internaional Day of Peace. We think Harbour Winn might be willing to work with us on publicizing and showing the films. Harbour directs the OCU Film Institute. We need to discuss this idea some more.
Next Meeting: We agreed to meet again on Tuesday, July 26th, at 2pm. Probably in the library at OCU.
I may have left out some of the details of our meeting. If I got anything twisted the wrong way, please be sure to let me know. Whenever I write up the notes of a meeting, I always appreciate suggestions for improvement.
Bill Bryant
405-760-5322
wildbill73107@cox.net
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