Falk Students Welcome Little Amal

On Thursday, September 21, a group of Falk fourth- and fifth-graders celebrated International Day of Peace by parading along Pittsburgh's north shore, carrying doves and signs marked with messages of peace while a group of Middle School puppeteers flew dove puppets. The group was there to greet Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian girl who is making her way across the country to raise awareness of the plight of refugees.

Art teacher Cheryl Capezzuti spearheaded Falk's participation in the event, which was one of five appearances Amal made in the Pittsburgh region. The artists and organizers behind the Little Amal project reached out to Ms. Capezzuti in the spring, and she estimates she began work on this project in May of 2023, organizing parent and community volunteers and holding rehearsals to ensure the event ran smoothly.

She worked with Falk student puppeteers, along with volunteers from the community; volunteers who played the role of bureaucrats ensnaring Amal in red tape; and Falk students who paraded with their messages of peace and community.

The project fit perfectly with Ms. Capezzuti's active artistic practice.

"I self-define as a community interactive public artist," she says. "I think art is one of the ways we heal a disconnected world and although it might look like my work is about puppets or sculpture, it's usually about the human-ness of the project and the interaction."

The Amal project, she says, "was community interactive public art on a grand scale."

Ms. Capezzuti adds, "This piece was about reflecting on who we are as humans in connection with other humans in the world who are struggling. It was an honor to be part of it."

For students and families who are feeling excitement about the project and who'd like to find additional ways to support children in transit across the world, Ms. Capezzuti says, "We did this big piece to make people more aware of the issues in our world." One way to maintain that feeling of connection is to donate to support the work of the Little Amal project. Or sometimes, she says, it may be more impactful for children to make a nearby connection by donating to local organizations.

"I'm figuring out how to use the excitement of the day to build some level of activism," she says.

Below are some images from an incredible day of art and community.

Click here to view a video of Amal's arrival.