The Tapestry for Peace
—Joice Fairchild

As a member of the National League of American Pen Women, in the spring of 2005, I sat mesmerized as Eve Mackintosh fluidly and with the skillful cadence of a master storyteller described her vision. On a Florida highway, she had seen an enormous angel holding two planet Earths, one uplifted, the other by her heart, and an inner voice said to her, “There’s a place in space for peace.”

Eve, a small yet powerfully gracious woman then conveyed that this vision had caused her to dream of an amazing undertaking. She wanted to create a tapestry that was longer than the historic Bayeux Tapestry, a monumental work which features images of the 1066 Norman conquest of England. This Tapestry would create a “place in space” by bearing images of peace and encouraging all those who witnessed it to identify with its message.

So it was that Eve’s dream became our own as we agreed to work with Eve on the completion of a Tapestry for Peace. It would be created by branches of Pen Women from around the country, peace groups, school children and individuals who wished to—as Eve said, “Stitch our lives together in a meaningful expression of peaceful coexistence.”

Sadly, Eve Mackintosh passed away on November 28, 2005, soon after rejoicing in seeing the first completed tapestry panel. With the contribution of panels from around the country, we have continued in the completion of this incredible achievement. The final panel will be sewn in place this February. However, even before its completion the Tapestry has been exhibited in several places including the Colorado State Capitol Building where it was viewed by thousands of people from around the world.

What Is the Tapestry for Peace?

Heralding angels, doves with olive branches, the Earth in a web, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, famous peacemakers like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Anne Frank, plus profound statements and thought-provoking poetry all created in vibrant collages, embroideries, appliqués, quilt work, beadwork, watercolors and a wide variety of mixed-media—these are some of the images on the Tapestry for Peace. Beauty, grace, and even a touch of magic permeate from within this national collaboration created to represent the hopes and dreams of millions by energetically expressing a desire for a peaceful world.

Many of the panels depict children and families. A panel from Connecticut includes an image of a child holding a magic wand over the Earth encircled by the words, “Born in the heart of every child is the power to change the world.” An embroidered panel from California depicts a grandmother sitting in a chair with children and a cat sitting on the floor at her feet. It reads, “Grandmother, are you telling us that people used to kill others? Yes, that was before every child was wanted and nurtured. It was before we learned to respect others’ rights to have ideas and cultures different than ours.” Below the picture the number 2025 hopefully reminds us that peace is possible now and could be the norm in the not so distant future.

Some of the panels address serious subject matter such as a life-like portrayal from Oklahoma of a young marine in dress uniform adorned with real marine buttons and badges. He is saluting but he doesn’t have a hand—he has a prosthetic hook. Above his head reads,“All gave some,” below his shoulder, “Some gave all.” It stands as an incredibly poignant reminder of the sacrifices that have been made. It also leaves one pondering the need for such horrific pain in the future. Right next to his panel is one created by a Mothers Without Borders group from Colorado who took their piece of material to Zambia so that children in an orphanage could imprint images of their hands reaching out in all directions.

There are also playful panels like one from Florida described by its artist Sally Schofer Mathews: “The panel features four flamboyant flamingoes against a navy-blue star-spangled background bearing palm branches in their bills and bound for the four corners of the world.  Swimming among the feathered flock, school of equally ornate shrimp surround a central peace symbol created from—what else?—an upside down palm tree circled with feathery fluff.”

These images describe only a few of the panels included in the Tapestry for Peace. Each panel, including framing, is five feet tall by four foot wide. The Tapestry includes eleven 24’ sections each containing six panels. In total, the eleven sections include 66 panels. The complete work is 264 feet long. Because of its size, it’s impossible to take one picture of the entire tapestry. To describe its essence in words is equally daunting. When viewing the Tapestry the intent in its creation seeps into our souls bringing about an extremely unique and personal sense of optimism and joy. The vision in the minds of the many who applied time and talent during the last six plus years to bring this Tapestry to fruition speaks beautifully to this incredible achievement.

 “Our vision is that the tapestry will create in the hearts and minds of all participants the conceivability of a world without fear, borders or barricades, as we literally stitch our lives together in this expression of a peaceful coexistence.”