Barbara Bickel

Kate Lance photography as part of Divination Art fashion show by Alexis Kimbrell Alexi Kimbrell in motion Kate Lance Photography of Yamantanka embodied by Alex Lockwood Kate Lance Photography of Tezcatlipoca embodied by Eddie Kate Lance Photography of Oya embodied by Alexis

Photo by Aster Arseneau Of March 10th Nap-In in the Morris Library Photo by Aster Arseneau Of March 10th Nap-In in the Morris Library Photo credit Abdelrabman Abdelazeem in Alexandria, Egypt Photo credit Abdelrabman Abdelazeem in Alexandria, Egypt

Sphynx looking out over Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo Natural small lake in Cairo View of the Nile from Saria Sadek's home - Egyptian Art Educator Alexandria, Egypt

early morning view from Plaza Hotel Alexandria overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. outside my window at Safaa's flat Holy Friday noon prayers end at the mosque outside my window

Barbara Bickel with High School Student art High School Student Art High School Student Art , entitled "the pane of the world"- best of show

“We need to make peace with the planet.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave his last speech at my University in Southern Illinois on December 21st 2016. He seemed quite happy that it was “the last of his last speeches.” He spoke of delivering many “thousands of speeches” during his 10 year tenure with the United Nations. Having traveled to more than 150 countries he witnessed and experienced so much of the tragedy and possibilities of this world. On this day of winter solstice he spoke with clarity and calm to the 1,500 people sitting with rapt attention, hanging onto his words. I too sat attentive in my chair surrounded by international students, students, faculty, university staff and leaders, and community members. He spoke of “us living in a very small world” and called for all present in the room to “become global citizens.” He requested students to “let go of nationalism and look beyond the US.” He advised them to follow their passion but to “develop passion and compassion hand- in- hand, or passion may not go in the right direction.” The direction that leads to the “upholding of human dignity and human rights.”

His words “we need to make peace with the planet” spoke volumes to me for all levels of life on this planet, the human and more than human. May his words reverberate loudly, far and wide beyond this small town, crumbling university, State and country.

Moving to the US to teach in 2008 transformed me as a Canadian into a global citizen. The threads of my artworkings, within cycles of the moon and earth seasons alongside my artist collective, have stitched me into the fabric of the cosmos and earth in surprising and profound personal, historical, political and sacred ways. It is through my arts-based communication with trees most recently that I have received guidance and support for decisions and actions in response to the personal and political tragedies calling for attention and action.

Humans desperately require, what my poet friend Pamela Richardson wrote to me of standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon on winter solstice, an experience of profound “Deep earth wisdom beyond time and words.” Pamela and Ban Ki-moon’s words re-solidify for me how we require a return to the global worldview of Indigenous wisdoms that teach the necessity of making all decisions with the future seven generations in mind. Not decisions based on individual nation states and personal gain, but for future sustainable peace with the planet and all of its inhabitants. This darkest time of the year and the darkest political time in my own life’s history, offers us the opportunity to deeply question our severed relationship with the Earth and its inhabitants. The original wound of all colonizing nation states.

From the article Provoking a Curricula of Care: Weaving Stories of Rupture Towards Repair

A Métissage of Polyphonic Textualities

Honoured to be part of this provocative issue (with my co-authors Nané Jordan, R. Michael Fisher, Pamela Richardson, and Susan Walsh with Sarah Dorau) in the Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies. The issue was lovingly curated/edited by Erica Hasebe-Ludt and Carl Leggo drawing from the creative scholarship at the Provoking Curriculum Conference at the University of British Columbia in 2015. May this quality of educational thought seep deeply into informal and formal spaces of learning worldwide

Vol 14, No 1 (2016): Canadian Curriculum Studies: A Métissage of Polyphonic Textualities

Kate Lance photography as part of Divination Art fashion show by Alexis Kimbrell Alexi Kimbrell in motion Kate Lance Photography of Yamantanka embodied by Alex Lockwood Kate Lance Photography of Tezcatlipoca embodied by Eddie Kate Lance Photography of Oya embodied by Alexis

Photo by Aster Arseneau Of March 10th Nap-In in the Morris Library Photo by Aster Arseneau Of March 10th Nap-In in the Morris Library Photo credit Abdelrabman Abdelazeem in Alexandria, Egypt Photo credit Abdelrabman Abdelazeem in Alexandria, Egypt

Sphynx looking out over Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo Natural small lake in Cairo View of the Nile from Saria Sadek's home - Egyptian Art Educator Alexandria, Egypt

early morning view from Plaza Hotel Alexandria overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. outside my window at Safaa's flat Holy Friday noon prayers end at the mosque outside my window

Barbara Bickel with High School Student art High School Student Art High School Student Art , entitled "the pane of the world"- best of show

“We need to make peace with the planet.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave his last speech at my University in Southern Illinois on December 21st 2016. He seemed quite happy that it was “the last of his last speeches.” He spoke of delivering many “thousands of speeches” during his 10 year tenure with the United Nations. Having traveled to more than 150 countries he witnessed and experienced so much of the tragedy and possibilities of this world. On this day of winter solstice he spoke with clarity and calm to the 1,500 people sitting with rapt attention, hanging onto his words. I too sat attentive in my chair surrounded by international students, students, faculty, university staff and leaders, and community members. He spoke of “us living in a very small world” and called for all present in the room to “become global citizens.” He requested students to “let go of nationalism and look beyond the US.” He advised them to follow their passion but to “develop passion and compassion hand- in- hand, or passion may not go in the right direction.” The direction that leads to the “upholding of human dignity and human rights.”

His words “we need to make peace with the planet” spoke volumes to me for all levels of life on this planet, the human and more than human. May his words reverberate loudly, far and wide beyond this small town, crumbling university, State and country.

Moving to the US to teach in 2008 transformed me as a Canadian into a global citizen. The threads of my artworkings, within cycles of the moon and earth seasons alongside my artist collective, have stitched me into the fabric of the cosmos and earth in surprising and profound personal, historical, political and sacred ways. It is through my arts-based communication with trees most recently that I have received guidance and support for decisions and actions in response to the personal and political tragedies calling for attention and action.

Humans desperately require, what my poet friend Pamela Richardson wrote to me of standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon on winter solstice, an experience of profound “Deep earth wisdom beyond time and words.” Pamela and Ban Ki-moon’s words re-solidify for me how we require a return to the global worldview of Indigenous wisdoms that teach the necessity of making all decisions with the future seven generations in mind. Not decisions based on individual nation states and personal gain, but for future sustainable peace with the planet and all of its inhabitants. This darkest time of the year and the darkest political time in my own life’s history, offers us the opportunity to deeply question our severed relationship with the Earth and its inhabitants. The original wound of all colonizing nation states.

From the article Provoking a Curricula of Care: Weaving Stories of Rupture Towards Repair

A Métissage of Polyphonic Textualities

Honoured to be part of this provocative issue (with my co-authors Nané Jordan, R. Michael Fisher, Pamela Richardson, and Susan Walsh with Sarah Dorau) in the Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies. The issue was lovingly curated/edited by Erica Hasebe-Ludt and Carl Leggo drawing from the creative scholarship at the Provoking Curriculum Conference at the University of British Columbia in 2015. May this quality of educational thought seep deeply into informal and formal spaces of learning worldwide

Vol 14, No 1 (2016): Canadian Curriculum Studies: A Métissage of Polyphonic Textualities