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Follow the Genesis narrative with our color-coded categories:
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Wendy Sternberg creates Genesis in a Self-Expression and Leadership course at Landmark Education
Genesis at the Crossroads is incorporated Aug 18, 1999
Lois Weisberg donates Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center for Genesis at the Crossroads’ very first event
Image CC BY-SA 3.0 by Rob Saker
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March 2000 is Genesis’ first event
First Annual Genesis Project at Chicago Cultural Center, A Cabaret of Middle Eastern Culture.
Middle Eastern and North African festival in music and dance with Genesis’ signature Cross-cultural collaborative original finale with artists creating and performing together.
Simon Shaheen is among performers.
501(c)(3) status in May 2000
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October 2001: Second Annual Genesis Project, A Cabaret of Middle Eastern Culture (follows 9/11 by 6 weeks)
Genesis held Chicago’s first public performance following 9/11 (Chicago’s World Music Festival canceled that year)
Ali Jihad Racy and Souhail Kaspar (drummer for the Lion King on Broadway) among performers
Standing room only; standing ovations
Featured in the Chicago Tribune in article “East Meets East”
Illinois Arts Council Grant
October 2001: State of IL Proclamation for Genesis at the Crossroads’ Month in Illinois
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Magic Carpet: Year-long CPS musical theater program promotes personal/cultural understanding and improved academic outcomes through small group instruction. 10 statistics/metrics tracked.
Year-long program at Sullivan High School on personal and cultural identity through script writing and music.
Collaboration with Music Theater Workshop
Remo (drum) company sponsors Genesis’ educational work at Sullivan High School
Alone in the Belly of the Whale Production
Sullivan High School’s Aayisha Humphrey is lead
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Third Annual Cabaret of Middle Eastern Culture
Food For Thought: Palestinian Poet, Taha Muhammad Ali, works translated by Israeli Peter Cole
The Art of Peace: A series of arts-education literacy programs for public schools (CPS) and arts-education leadership for universities.
- Von Stueben High: Created Choice & Consequence to explore character choices in Shakespeare’s King Lear, involved Goodman Theater, (2007)
- Senn High: Communicating personal/cultural history through Yemenite dance (2006)
- Sullivan High: Hands-on drumming workshops teach communication skills, history, math led by Grammy-award winner Lebanese percussionist, Souhail Kaspar (2003); repeated for NWU Kellogg Executive MBA program (2004-6)
Peace curriculum started for high school
Alone in the Belly of the Whale final production at Sullivan High School
Sternberg is selected as Finalist for Susan F. Berkowitz Award in Recognition of Outstanding Service to Children and Families
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Festival goes outdoors; first outdoor Genesis Festival in Block 37
Renamed From the Middle East to the Midwest
Featured over 130 artists for our Middle Eastern/ North African cross-cultural collaborative instrumental and vocal music as well as dance performances for a two-day outdoor Chicago festival
In conjunction with the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Special Events
Emcee Harold Ramis
The Late Maggie Daley was the Honorary Chairperson
Nuveen Investments sponsors the Main Stage
Palmer House Hilton donates all the rooms for the visiting artists for the festival
Cross-cultural collaborative finale between Jewish Moroccan Cantor and Muslim Moroccan Munshid with Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble.
Finale toured to DC, NYC and LA. Munshid Abdelfattah Bennis (Morocco) and Cantor Lior El Malich (Israel)
Avi Elam Amzallag writes original score, Soundwaves Travel; others as well (Kareem Roustom)
Harold Ramis joins the Genesis Advisory Board; brings Stacy Keach as his guest to the dinner for all artists and donors prior to the first outdoor festival
Stacy requests to sit on Advisory Board and joins
Tale of Two Cities chapter on civic dialogue
Wendy Sternberg named Woman to Watch by Today’s Chicago Women Magazine
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Festival rebranded as HAMSA-Fest in Lincoln Park
80+ artists
Genesis’ signature finale Gesher – Gisr Building Bridges features Jordanian-Palestinian Naser Musa and Iraqi-Israeli Yair Dalal with 12 other nationalities in orchestra
Integral part of the United Nation’s 60th Anniversary Celebration
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Brooklyn Museum of Art
Humanitarian component added to GATC: Iraqi Plastics Art Gallery exhibition
Co-created silent auction benefitting Baghdadi visual artists
Sarmad Ghazi, one of the artists, was killed in a car bomb; dedicated the entire festival to his memory
Original pieces include Samai Nahawand byKareem Roustom
Wendy Sternberg becomes Peer Review Panel Member of Illinois Arts Council’s Ethnic-Folk Arts Division, 2005-8
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Kennedy Center Performance
Genesis gets Governor’s International Arts Exchange Program Grant from IL Arts Council
Peace it Together: A 14-performance series with children/adult performances and classes to celebrate cultural diversity while promoting world peace.
Featured Yemenite drumming and dance, Iranian storytelling, Israeli folk dance, performance by African-American legend Ella Jenkins. Multi-disciplinary performances Jewish-Moslem-Hindu performance.
Exhibit at Chicago Children’s Museum
Merchandise Mart’s One-of-A-Kind Show features Genesis with this program
Benefit Concert with Gary Sinise and Lt Dan Band
Exhibition and museum training at Museum of Tolerance in LA; workshops for LA Public School youth
Featured in the Chicago Tribune: “Stitching pieces for peace”
Tapestry of Story & Sound (Chicago Children’s Humanities Festival Commission) storytelling paired with ethnic music explored stringed instruments from Ireland, Senegal and Iran to promote cultural understanding
Wendy Sternberg Named 1 of 10 Jewish Chicagoans of the Year by Chicago Jewish News
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Saffron Caravan is born
HAMSA Fest in Lincoln Park
Featured in Gail Slater’s book, A Tale of Two Cities, focused on architecture creates a social world. The built environment structures and facilitates the functions of a city and interactions among human beings. Highlighted how our festival in Block 37 created opportunity for civic dialogue.
Tour to Casablanca Supported by US Department of State
Collaboration with Andalusian Orchestra of Casablanca, Saida Charaf, Hamid El Karsi & others
WFMT broadcasts concert live
Arm Them with Instruments begins as Genesis’ third-generation arts-based humanitarian initiative
Genesis first Board Fellow from Kellogg (WS is Mentor) through 2011
Publicity Club of Chicago’s 2007 Silver Trumpet Award in Issues Management for humanitarian peace program
Chicago Tribune Kids News article bought by Hampton-Brown Publishers for 10-year re-print (>100K copies)
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Wendy Sternberg awarded Rotary International’s Rabbi Willie Frankel Award for social justice
Development work in Egypt and Jordan and Israel
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Wendy Sternberg selected to represent the US with delegation of 21 other multi-disciplinary peacemakers from 18 countries for intensive Rotary International peace and conflict studies fellowship at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Internationally-renowned faculty of professors/activists guided participants through interactive case-studies/field research exploring thought leaders, conflict analysis models, peace zones, and restorative justice
GATC/US State Department Webchats
Internet radio show explored power of music to transcend cultural barriers; reached all ages in 26 countries US State Dept.
Parliament of the World’s Religions
Saffron Caravan planned for closing performances and music education at Alexandria Library’s 8th International Music Festival in Alexandria, Egypt
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First Love the Questions Salon with Daniel Pollock at Grainger Ballroom, Symphony Hall, Chicago
Saffron Caravan works with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary
Benefit at Peninsula Hotel for Genesis Academy for Global Leadership
Saffron Caravan and Peter Yarrow as entertainment; Alison Cuddy as Emcee
Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Participant
CGI commitment configures Genesis Academy as scalable global model for peace education
Music Connects Us All mural project
This now-permanent installation at the MD Metals Warehouse served as a stunning backdrop for our Saffron Caravan concert in 2010. The Merit School of Music conservatory students performed a Soldier’s Tale as the warm up to Saffron Caravan.
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Saffron Caravan Israel Tour to the Middle East
Supported by US Department of State (for Jordan, Israel/Palestine)
Tour of Israel, guest Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary) included 5 concerts and 1500+ student-hours of music education (Scaled back to 5 locations in Israel due to terrorist attempts on Roman Amphitheater in Amman)
Programs in Jerusalem for East and West Jerusalem
First-ever public concert in Beer Sheva’s Bedouin community
Collaboration with Bat Kol Children’s Choir
Film – Adi Frost, Director; Miss Productions Company -Hani Kilchevsky
Wendy Sternberg named 2011 Charles Bronfman Prize Nominee
ATWI International Shipping pro-bono indefinitely with Courier Network Inc. NYC
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DePaul Class – Social media
JLW Instruments: distribution warehouse for Arm Them With Instruments (8/2012)
George Mason University’s Conflict Resolution Department students in DC become involved in Arm Them with Instruments
- brings used instruments and music education to at risk youth in conflict areas
- includes student trip to Israeli Negev’s Bedouin community
Behind-the-scenes work on Genesis Academy for Global Leadership
Genesis Campus Peace Hub developed as concept with Genesis Academy for Global Leadership at epicenter
Mohammad Arif Noorzai Memorial Scholarship Fund honors a future Academy professor who was tragically killed in Afghanistan (Completed Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Fellowship with Sternberg – Chulalongkorn University, 2009)
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Love the Questions Salon on Human Rights with Steve Edwards interviewing Prexy Nesbitt
Mindfulness and neuroscience work for Genesis Academy
Behind-the-scenes work on Genesis Academy for Global Leadership
Campus Peace Hub in evolution-with other human rights, social justice, arts and education non-profits on campus with Genesis Academy.
Wendy Sternberg is 2013 Lipman Prize in Social Entrepreneurship Nominee
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First salon at National Hellenic Museum
Karen Koning AbuZayd, JE Rash, Lynette Jackson, and Nigel Osborne as panelists; Chicago Public Radio’s Alexandra Salomon as Moderator
Development of Genesis Academy Summer Institute
Wendy Sternberg is a guest teacher in part of Masters’ course in School of Communications NWU
Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow
Harold Ramis passes away and Genesis creates comedy and conflict resolution film program in his memory. Gary Sinise is the first donor in support of this.
The Harold Ramis Memorial Fund will engage and inspire young people in their formative years to tap into their creative self-expression and find humor for intractable issues that plague our time.
Behind-the-scenes work on Genesis Academy for Global Leadership and Peace Hub
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Love the Questions Salon: What is a New Conversation for Human Rights?
Panelists include David Tolbert
First Genesis Academy Summer Institute
British Film of Genesis Academy Summer Institute (youth from conflict/post-conflict zones)
Harold Ramis Memorial Fund Created
Curriculum and film series on comedy and conflict resolution
Saffron Caravan in Srebrenica, Bosnia
Composer, University of Edinburg Emeritus Professor of Music and Global Human Rights Activist, Nigel Osborne created an original workshop piece, Sevdah: A Universal History of Love and Loss for Saffron Caravan
Saffron Caravan Universal Love tour begins
Sites include GW Music School in DC; Kendall College Chicago
Saffron Caravan opened the Art of Peace Conference at the Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice (University of San Diego)
Sternberg created and facilitated the roundtable Music as a Vehicle for Global Peacebuilding using Saffron Caravan as a case study of a creative approach to conflict transformation.
Salzburg Global Seminar Facilitator
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Saffron Caravan Performance at WBEZ, Wentz – Naperville
Saffron Caravan Guest Percussionist’s band Snarky Puppy wins Grammy
Saffron Caravan Universal Love CD recorded
Featured on WTTW TV Chicago Tonight Show to over 1 million viewers
Second Genesis Academy Summer Institute
New collaborations/teaching faculty
- Center for Neighborhood Technology
- Jamie Kalven and Invisible Institute
- David Glass
Wendy Sternberg keynotes in NWU Engineering course on systems thinking
Film made about Badi Assad; Wendy Sternberg interviewed
Edwin Rosen Art Trust Bequest to Genesis
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Saffron Caravan Merit and Environmental Station
Roundtable and Saffron Caravan hybrid
First Genesis Chapter started on college campus of DePaul University in Chicago
Wendy Sternberg teaches with adjunct faculty in NWU School of Engineering
Genesis Academy is project for course on regenerative design
Third Genesis Academy Summer Institute
New collaborations/teaching faculty
- Gotham Greens
- Arcadis
- Lin Batsheva Kahn (Dance choreographer)
- Newberry Library and Curator of Native American collection
Wendy Sternberg Nominated for 2017 International Roger Kaufman Award in Social Entrepreneurship
Exploring physical sites for Genesis Academy and Peace Hub
Edwin Rosen Art Trust Bequest event at Pagoda Red
Genesis Peace Hub considered for former Michael Reese Hospital site redevelopment
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World premiere of Journeys, a music and dance collaboration wherein Saffron Caravan showcased their interdisciplinary work and performances with refugee youth dancers at Chicago’s historic Mayne Stage.
Lin Batsheva Kahn – Dance choreographer
Fourth Genesis Academy Summer Institute
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting features the 2018 Genesis Academy Summer Institute student’s work in peace journalism blogs and shares them around the world
2018 Genesis Academy Summer Institute students perform both of their original cross-cultural collaborative song and dance at the Newberry Library’s outdoor public festival, Bughouse
New teaching faculty
- Her Majesty Consul General John Saville
- Alberto Osorio Liebana, Invenergy
- Allison Glovak Webb, Uncommon Ground urban rooftop farm
- Zach Waickman, Loyola Institute of Environmental Sustainability
The global law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner commits to contributing its legal services pro-bono for all work from land acquisition onwards etc. for the Genesis Academy for Global Leadership and Peace Hub
Explored US Steel site for Genesis Peace Hub
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Erwin Helfer, Boogie Woogie Jazz legend, donates a concert for our Genesis benefit program at residence of HM Consul General, Ambassador John Saville
Summer Institute students share their experiences
- Reema Dhawan, SE Asian-American from Chicagoland
- Patrick Reponse, Refugee from DR Congo
- Miriam Cing, Refugee from Myanmar
Love the Questions Salon: How Can Women’s Leadership Critically Shape the 21st Century? (May 2019)
Women’s Leadership Salon becomes an annual program
Saffron Caravan – June 2019
At the DuSable Museum of African American History
Honorary Chairperson – Congresswoman Robin Kelly
Part of WBEZ Worldview’s 25th Anniversary
At Chicago’s Historic Mayne Stage
An Adjunct Program of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Forum on Global Cities
Includes interdisciplinary dance collaboration with Refugee Dancer
Featured on WCPT Radio 820 with Joan Esposito
Fifth Genesis Academy Summer Institute
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting features the 2019 Genesis Academy Summer Institute student’s work in peace journalism blogs and shares them around the world
At the Newberry Library Chief Curator of Americana, Will Hansen
Genesis Academy Summer Institute students examine the 100th anniversary of the race riots in Chicago
New teaching faculty
- Shawn Lent – Dancer
- Jess Godwin – Songwriting Workshop
- Pat Nabong – Visual Journalist from the Philippines
- Carli Taylor – Senior Case Manager, N. Lawndale
- Christian Legal Center; Restorative Justice Youth Criminal Court
- Grace Boateng – Staff from Ghana
2 Genesis Academy Summer Institute graduates, Reema Dhawan and Safiyah Simpkins with Sternberg are closing speakers for The Gandhi King Foundation’s Gandhi 150: Legacy of Peace program (Field Museum, Chicago; Oct. 2019)
Featured Gandhi’s Granddaughter, Nelson Mandela’s Daughter, Caesar Chavez’s Grandson and Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Daughter
SHURE microphone comes on board as Genesis supporter
- Donated all sound equipment for Saffron Caravan and all future guest artists
- Donated all sound for the Women’s Leadership Salon
School of the Art Institute of Chicago formally becomes Genesis Academy and Peace Hub Community Partner
South Shore makes for a compelling location for our Genesis Peace Hub with its cross-cultural collaborative history and social justice underpinnings; known for being an artistic mecca
Sternberg is an El-Hibri Foundation Peace Education Prize Nominee
Honored at the Carnegie Institute of Science, Oct. 2019
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Healing for Humanity
Women’s Leadership Salon and 6th Summer Institute delayed because of the pandemic
Sternberg speaks at The Gandhi King Foundation’s virtual program on peacebuilding (in three parts)
- University of Hyderabad – 8/31/20
- Two more Indian universities to follow
Sounds of Healing™ World Premiere in December 2020
