<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">John
Noltner to speak about his multimedia project, “A Piece Of My Mind” on
Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 7 pm at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">Contact:
Betsy Mulligan-Dague, <a href="mailto:peace@jrpc.org"><span style="font-family:Cambria,serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">peace@jrpc.org</span></a>
or 543-3955</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">Available
for Interview: Betsy Mulligan-Dague, <a href="mailto:peace@jrpc.org"><span style="font-family:Cambria,serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">peace@jrpc.org</span></a>
or 543-3955</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.5in;text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">John Noltner, </span><a href="mailto:john@apeaceofmymind.net"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">john@apeaceofmymind.net</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">“In a
world that often asks us to focus on the things that can separate us…politics,
ethnicity, and religion…A Peace of My Mind encourages us to explore the common
humanity that connects us.” – founder John Noltner</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">What
does peace mean to you? That’s the central question photographer and
storyteller John Noltner has been asking people for his social commentary
project, A Peace of My Mind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">Founded
in 2009, A Peace of My Mind is a multimedia art project that fosters public
dialogue about issues related to conflict resolution, civic responsibility, and
peace. With engaging portraits and compelling personal stories, nearly 100
diverse subjects describe what peace means to them, how they work toward it in
their lives, and some of the obstacles they encounter along the way. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">Those
profiled include Holocaust survivors and a homeless man, a Somali refugee and a
military chaplain, a pottery instructor and an oil company executive. Artists,
volunteers, politicians, and business leaders all share their thoughts and
inspiring stories in a series that celebrates our common experience and sense
of community. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">A
Peace of My Mind expanded into the public forum in 2010 with the production of
a traveling exhibit, funded through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts
Board. Since then, more than 80,000 people have viewed the exhibit at schools,
private galleries, community centers, places of worship, libraries, and
universities across the country. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">In
2011, A Peace of My Mind won support from 92 backers through a Kickstarter
campaign to produce a book from the series with a foreword written by Mahatma
Gandhi’s granddaughter, Ela Gandhi. The book earned first place in the Midwest
Book Awards, and won a silver IPPY from the Independent Publishers Association.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">A
Peace of My Mind continues to develop programming to engage viewers with the
art. Through keynote presentations, small group discussions, and in-depth
workshops, A Peace of My Mind helps civic and student groups understand the
ways we categorize one another and how we can bridge our differences and build
community through sharing our stories. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">Using
this model, A Peace of My Mind has been presented at the Peace and Justice
Studies Association National Conference, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, and the
Dayton International Peace Museum. The project has been honored in 2013 with
EDIT’s Art for Change award, Jovial Concept’s Peace Initiative, and a Jefferson
Award for Youth Service. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif">Mr.
Noltner will be in Missoula to conduct some interviews and do a multi-media
presentation about his project and its impact. For more in, visit his website
at </span><span class=""><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"><a href="http://www.apeaceofmymind.net/" target="_blank">www.apeaceofmymind.net</a></span></b></span><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif"> </span></p></div><div><div class="gmail_signature"><font style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif" size="4"><b style="color:rgb(0,102,0)"><font size="2"><br></font></b></font><div style="text-align:center"><br><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Betsy Mulligan-Dague, Executive Director</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Jeannette Rankin Peace Center</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">...working to build a world that is nonviolent, socially just and environmentally sustainable...</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"></div><div style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">519 S. Higgins</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Missoula, MT 59801</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Phone: 406-543-3955</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Fax: 406-541-3997</span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><a href="mailto:peace@jrpc.org" target="_blank">peace@jrpc.org</a></span><br style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.jrpc.org" target="_blank">www.jrpc.org</a></span></div></div></div>
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