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Peace Sculptures - Bay Area Group Keeps War-Toys Out of Children's Hands |
Trudy Reagan with peace sculpture
Photo: © Barbara Goodwin
Photo: © Barbara Goodwin
by Ruth Robertson
SAN FRANCISCO - A fiesty group of women are using sculptures made of war toys to call on the public to disarm the playroom. While they pass out peace pins at public high schools to dissuade students from joining the military, they also aim to "counter-recruit" younger children, by encouraging parents to rid their homes of violence-themed toys.
The Peninsula Raging Grannies, known throughout the Bay area for their outrageous grandmotherly garb and anti-war lyrics sung to popular tunes, have been singing "No War Toys" songs in front of Toys R Us for several years. Last fall, the Grannies were spurned on to new action when a Granny shopping for used clothing in a Goodwill store saw military action figures for sale. Outraged, the Grannies declared second-hand outlets responsible for recycling destructive toys back into the hands of children. They immediately headed to thrift stores in their neighborhoods to begin the liberation of war toys from the shelves. They also asked store managers to refuse to sell such playthings and to call the Grannies when the toys showed up in donation bins. Discussion in an Internet chat group for worldwide Raging Grannies sparked Vicki Ryder of the Rochester (New York) Raging Grannies to suggest the creation of a peace sculpture made out of the war toys. Trudy Reagan, a well-known artist in the San Francisco Peninsula Grannies, delved into the task.
"I usually approach my art in a serious manner,' said Reagan in a recent interview. "But when the other Grannies asked me to make a peace sculpture it afforded me the opportunity to cut loose and do something with chicken wire, which is fun to work with. All the materials are recycled." She calls her work 'The Burdened Dove of Peace," as its wings are weighted down with little green army soldiers and military vehicles. Reagan recently completed a second sculpture that incorporates violent comic books, military action figures with bionic arms, and a Barbie doll in a burqa-like shroud.
The Grannies tote their sculptures with them to frequent 'gigs,' where they are observed by young and old alike. Invited recently to present her artwork and sing with the Grannies at Stanford University, Granny Trudy told students in the class of 2007, "Listen to your elders from the class of 1958."
Further Information:
www.peninsularaginggrannies.org
SAN FRANCISCO - A fiesty group of women are using sculptures made of war toys to call on the public to disarm the playroom. While they pass out peace pins at public high schools to dissuade students from joining the military, they also aim to "counter-recruit" younger children, by encouraging parents to rid their homes of violence-themed toys.
The Peninsula Raging Grannies, known throughout the Bay area for their outrageous grandmotherly garb and anti-war lyrics sung to popular tunes, have been singing "No War Toys" songs in front of Toys R Us for several years. Last fall, the Grannies were spurned on to new action when a Granny shopping for used clothing in a Goodwill store saw military action figures for sale. Outraged, the Grannies declared second-hand outlets responsible for recycling destructive toys back into the hands of children. They immediately headed to thrift stores in their neighborhoods to begin the liberation of war toys from the shelves. They also asked store managers to refuse to sell such playthings and to call the Grannies when the toys showed up in donation bins. Discussion in an Internet chat group for worldwide Raging Grannies sparked Vicki Ryder of the Rochester (New York) Raging Grannies to suggest the creation of a peace sculpture made out of the war toys. Trudy Reagan, a well-known artist in the San Francisco Peninsula Grannies, delved into the task.
"I usually approach my art in a serious manner,' said Reagan in a recent interview. "But when the other Grannies asked me to make a peace sculpture it afforded me the opportunity to cut loose and do something with chicken wire, which is fun to work with. All the materials are recycled." She calls her work 'The Burdened Dove of Peace," as its wings are weighted down with little green army soldiers and military vehicles. Reagan recently completed a second sculpture that incorporates violent comic books, military action figures with bionic arms, and a Barbie doll in a burqa-like shroud.
The Grannies tote their sculptures with them to frequent 'gigs,' where they are observed by young and old alike. Invited recently to present her artwork and sing with the Grannies at Stanford University, Granny Trudy told students in the class of 2007, "Listen to your elders from the class of 1958."
Further Information:
www.peninsularaginggrannies.org
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