WorldView Magazine: Peace Corps in the Arts
Patchwork of Peace
The Patchwork of Peace quilt, created in 1990 at the National Peace Corps Association conference in Eugene, Oregon, is both a historical artifact and a symbol—a tactile expression of memory, advocacy, and collective identity among RPCVs. Measuring 27 feet in length and composed of 100 panels contributed by individual Volunteers, this community quilt reflects the intersection of art, activism, and social memory.
Peace Corps Off-Broadway
A car crash, a cryptic State Department operative, and a rapidly shifting world order set the stage for RPCV Rajiv Joseph's new play, Dakar 2000. But this is more than just a thriller: it’s a work shaped by lived experience.
Ubuntu in Action
Last month, the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience (MPCE) launched its first exhibit of 2025, Ubuntu in Action: Exploring the Peace Corps and Shared Humanity, hosted by the International Peace Museum in Dayton, Ohio. This inspiring exhibit delves into the spirit of service, cultural exchange, and the interconnectedness of all people and is the centerpiece of the two museums’ celebration of the Season for Non-Violence accompanied by an engaging series of online and in-person programs running through April.
Time, Space, Presence
Very few people represent the values of Peace Corps better than Jody Olsen. Olsen, who served as director of the agency from 2018 to 2021, is one of just a handful of directors who also served as Volunteers before ascending to that position. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Olsen made the unprecedented decision to evacuate all 7,000 Volunteers in the field to bring them safely home. She’s also a longtime champion of women’s economic empowerment. Today, she serves as co-chair of the RPCV group Women of Peace Corps Legacy, and chair of the Peace Corps Park advisory committee. Her most recent endeavor is the publication of her memoir, A...
Metaphors for Thought
The Unruly Sculpture of Joel Shapiro By David Arnold As a Peace Corps Volunteer in south India in the mid-1960s, Joel Shapiro taught villagers how to dig latrines, build smokeless ovens, and utilize night soil for more productive vegetable gardens, among other sustainability initiatives. More than 50 years later, his sculptures and works on paper are in the permanent collections of museums all over the world: New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art; down south at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas; out west at California’s Los Angeles County...
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
Stay Updated
