Mercy High: Architects of Peace

June 29, 2015

Thanks to a generous grant from Dignity Health, the Architects of Peace project is being exhibited at Mercy High School, San Francisco.

The photo exhibit – in the form of banners posted outside the main entrance, fine arts courtyard, and in the McAuley Pavilion rotunda - features portraits of and quotes from peacemakers around the globe who seek to bring about a more just and peaceful world. The preeminent portrait photographer and founder of Architects of Peace, Michael Collopy, has played a key role in making this exhibit a reality.

The purpose of the Architects of Peace project is to educate for peace and inspire positive action through the lives of the world’s peacemakers. While some names, faces, and causes are more easily recognized, others are perhaps not as well-known but nonetheless significant peace activists and agents for social change. The photo banners include icons of social, political, and economic change such as Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, Malala Yousafzai, and Aung San Suu Kyi. Others like Vandana Shiva, Jane Goodall, Paul Farmer, and Wangari Maathai have sought to bring an end to poverty, sickness, and violence through their skills, education, and research in the field of science. The 44 peacemakers featured in this project are social entrepreneurs, politicians, activists, artists, performers, and more.

Mercy High School, San Francisco, is honored to host the Architects of Peace project. Over the past year, teachers have and will continue to engage students in the photo exhibit by integrating the peacemakers and their work into the curriculum. Additionally, the concept of the photo exhibit is to promote meaningful dialogue, research, and education. As a school directed by the Sisters of Mercy and deeply rooted in the Mercy charism, the project brings attention to the Critical Concerns as articulated by the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Through their life of faith, academics, service, co-curricular activities, and now the Architects of Peace project, the young women of Mercy High School seek to live the Gospel value of compassion, respect and care for the poor and marginalized in our midst.