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Sept. 9, 2005
Imaginative solutions
Peace through Humor creator opens exhibit here.
SHULA KLINGER
Maureen Kushner knows a lot about humor. Her first lessons, at
age seven, in the streets of the Bronx, where she sold half-price
comics to other children. She listened as immigrants from Europe,
Holocaust survivors among them, told stories of their lives. She
saw the tattoos on their arms and marvelled at their humor. But
most of all, she felt the warmth of her neighborhood.
As a teacher, Kushner remembered those early lessons. She worked
hard to bring humor and warmth into her classrooms.
"Humor creates an atmosphere that inspires," she said.
"When they are inspired, students will achieve more than anyone
thought possible.
"You can do a lot with a few cans of paint, some jokes, cartoons
and a little love," said Kushner.
She had her students animate "the funniest words in the English
language." They made cartoons of 'itchy,' 'pimple' and 'scram!'
"We had a box of funny words and a box of loving words,"
said Kushner. "We had 'smile,' 'respect,' 'kindness,' 'tolerance.'
" The students chose "hug" and drew letters that
hugged each other. They chose "share" and drew letters
that shared.
While working in Israel between 1994 and 1997, Kushner visited Gaza
and various refugee camps. She asked children to draw "war"
and "peace." They drew "war" with letters made
of bombs and guns. Then they inserted the letters P-E-A-C-E inside
W-A-R, with letters made of butterflies, in Hebrew and Arabic.
"I explained the roots of the words and how Hebrew and Arabic
came from the same root," Kushner said. "I'd reverse the
letters and explore new meanings. It was fascinating, deep work
with children."
"In Israel, a teacher must be extremely flexible," she
added. "You never know what will happen. One school was hit
by rockets two and a half weeks into our project. The children were
on a field trip, but the rockets tore apart many of their paintings."
When they returned to the damaged school, two boys took their anger
out on the remaining artwork, tearing it up in front of their classmates.
"Pretty soon," said Kushner, "the other children
had collected glue and paper. They put the artwork back together
– it was a happening built from destruction. Those restored
paintings tell many more stories than before."
Kushner created a slide show from her work in Israel: Peace through
Humor – a project that is coming to Vancouver this weekend.
Kushner will talk about her work at the Norman Rothstein Theatre
Sunday evening, Sept. 11, and hold an afternoon workshop for children
at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC). Later
in the week, she will work with youngsters at Vancouver Talmud Torah,
Vancouver Hebrew Academy and Richmond Jewish Day School.
Kushner's original exhibition toured throughout northern Israel,
where hundreds of children from different communities came to see
the paintings. The project was even invited to the Knesset. It was,
said Kushner, a testament to the children's wishes for peace. But
the day before the Knesset event, two terrorist attacks sent the
country into mourning again. Many guests were at funerals, so the
exhibition opened quietly, without celebration.
As Kushner was beginning to wonder who would come, 25 buses drew
up. Inside were the children from northern Israel with their parents,
teachers, principals and even the mayors. They linked arms and approached
the Knesset: Muslims, Jews, Druze and Christians. "It was the
most beautiful, heart-rending sight," remembered Kushner.
In spite of the joy, Kushner never forgets that a teacher needs
strong shoulders – as well as a big heart – for this work:
"You have to be prepared for the hard questions. 'What are
you? Are you a Jew?' And when you say yes, you must be ready for
the answer. 'But how can you be? You are so wonderful.' "
Kushner has spent years bringing humor to – and getting it
out of – children. But right behind her love of children is
her love of words and their symbolism. In her hands, language is
a toy that must be explored and that can be bent and twisted into
extraordinary shapes. Children, of course, don't need much encouragement
when it comes to playing and as they do, the result is outstanding
art – and soul.
"These children," Kushner remembered, "their hearts
were shining and their eyes, too. Everything I have ever wanted
to do, I have achieved through Peace through Humor. There were so
many fragile souls. To see them build some strength and resiliency
was the biggest and deepest blessing."
The Peace through Humor paintings will be displayed in the halls
of the JCC until Sept. 15.
For more information, call 604-257-5111.
Shula Klinger is a freelance writer living in Richmond.
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