Students Sculpt Bones For Massive Art Project

New Hampshire students are joining a large-scale effort to give a voice to the voiceless victims and survivors of terrible human rights violations.

Souhegan world studies teacher Rachel Belmont is coordinating the NH effort for One Million Bones, a large-scale social arts project that implements the arts to raise awareness of genocides and atrocities going on around the world to this day. Each represents those who have died from genocide, mass murder, famine and other human rights violations

“This new project is art activism,” said Belmont. “They are using their creative spirit to benefit people and showcase against policies or regimes that inflict these crimes.”

Students create bones out of clay, or any biodegradable material, which will join 1,000,000 others in a collaborative installation on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. from June 8th-10th, 2013. This will not only raise awareness, but also serves as a call to action from the government to take action.

Each bone, which represents the victims who cannot speak for themselves, will be laid out in a symbolic mass grave. The Bezos Family Foundation will make a  $1 donation (up to $500,000) for each one to CARE for their work on the ground in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Fifteen schools in the state are joining together in this multi-layered approach to raising money and awareness. Belmont said that 400 of these bones have been made under her watch so far, with the final amount sent to Exeter Academy before making a final destination in D.C.

Belmont has integrated this community service project into her lessons, and hopes that students take the message of tolerance and common humanity to heart. 

Chris Harold, a fellow world studies teacher at Souhegan, had some of his students crafting the bones on Monday.

“This is highlighting a difficult issue for students,” he said. “But students are having conversations about it and it is interesting to engage students in a different method of learning.”

To learn more, visit: www.onemillionbones.org, or contact Rachel Belmont at rbelmont@sprise.com.