What We’ve Been Up To

From the States, to Colombia, to Sri Lanka, we asked the question: What would you like to say to the 7 billionth person about the world we live in today? 


Spring 2011 Outreach Trip

@ Batticaloa and Colombo, Sri Lanka

A group of students from Yale University traveled to ask Sri Lankan students to draw their own answers to the question.

Driving force: Thomas Smyth, Yale Undergraduate

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Fall 2010 Globally-Sourced Exhibition

@ The Parachute Factory, New Haven, CT, USA

Driving force: The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, in partnership with The Parachute Factory, Proof: Media for Social Justice and The Yale World Fellows Program

Curators: Valerie Belanger, Leora Kahn and Mary Negro

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July 2010 Project LAUNCH

@ Festival Malpensante, Bogota, Colombia

Participants answer the big question.

An interview with the driving force behind this event: Colombian journalist Claudia Lopez.

Our founder Valerie Belanger celebrates the launch at the National University of Colombia.

What We’ve Been Up To

From the States, to Colombia, to Sri Lanka, we asked the question: What would you like to say to the 7 billionth person about the world we live in today? 


Spring 2011 Outreach Trip

@ Batticaloa and Colombo, Sri Lanka

A group of students from Yale University traveled to ask Sri Lankan students to draw their own answers to the question.

Driving force: Thomas Smyth, Yale Undergraduate

———————————————————————

Fall 2010 Globally-Sourced Exhibition

@ The Parachute Factory, New Haven, CT, USA

Driving force: The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, in partnership with The Parachute Factory, Proof: Media for Social Justice and The Yale World Fellows Program

Curators: Valerie Belanger, Leora Kahn and Mary Negro

———————————————————————

July 2010 Project LAUNCH

@ Festival Malpensante, Bogota, Colombia

Participants answer the big question.

An interview with the driving force behind this event: Colombian journalist Claudia Lopez.

Our founder Valerie Belanger celebrates the launch at the National University of Colombia.

About:

Who are we?

We are Beluma Arts, a New Haven-based community group focused on creating, supporting and promoting participatory public art projects. From 2009-2011 we were devoted to the realization of the 7 Billionth Person Project.

It was through this Project that we aimed to start a conversation about the current state of the world. In all it's joy, and all it's pain. By collecting thoughts, images, questions, songs and blessings from around the world -- for the 7 billionth person -- we challenged people to think beyond the personal, to the global.

Started in partnership with the Yale World Fellows Program in the fall of 2009, the project emerged from conversations around the responsibilities we each have to our fellow human beings -- and about a new concept: global civics. What would it mean if each of us started to think of ourselves as "global citizens"? How do we build a sense of community that extends beyond neighborhoods, national boundaries, languages?

We've already collected more than 200 answers of all mediums from more than 30 countries. And we've hosted two large scale events. Our official launch was in July of 2009 in Bogota, Colombia. In the fall of 2010, we put on a large-scale, participatory exhibition in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. In the spring of 2011, we brought the project to Sri Lanka. While we do not have plans for additional exhibitions, we continue to welcome your online submissions: http://www.7billionthpersonproject.org/submit

Cheers!

belumaarts.org