As part of the Greenstar project in the Palestinian community of Al-Kaabneh, we encouraged the people of the village to create original drawings and paintings.

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The best of this artwork has been digitally scanned, using a computer graphics program. The resulting high-resolution images are offered for download here, to a worldwide audience of millions of people.

A single image (see above) is offered free, in high-resolution form, for download -- suitable for framing, forwarding to friends, on your webpage, or whatever use you may make of it. You can also view low-resolution versions of the other images, and then download high-resolution versions. You may also order a large-format version printed on fine art paper, suitable for framing, which will be printed at a professional facility and mailed to you..

An idea of our overall approach to this and other elements of digital culture can be see at http://www.greenstar.org/digital-culture/

The people of Al-Kaabneh invited to work with 26 universal artistic themes:

Home
Village
Family
Mother
Father
Woman
Man
Brother
Sister
Play
Teacher
School
The Sun
Earth
Desert
Hillside
Night sky
Sunset
Celebration
Music
Eagle
The Future
Peace
Prayer
Work
Rest

Twelve sets of art materials were provided, along with a large supply of fine art paper. The art materials include three sets each of colored pencils, pastels, charcoal and watercolors, with appropriate brushes and other art materials. For several days, people worked, talked, played music and created art together; these pages show the results. None of the artists had ever created any artwork for view by the outside world before, or for sale.

Anyone in the village of any age, was invited to create artwork for this project; this included children in the school, young men and women, and old people. Both literal and abstract themes were encouraged, with the basic idea being to communicate something of the reality of life in Al-Kaabneh to people around the world.

All artists whose work was selected have received an individual email account on the village system; their names and photographs, with a brief biography, accompany their artwork on the website. They also received a cash award of $50 for themselves for each image, and an individual framed certificate.

When you buy this artwork, you may send email to the artist, and will be able to communicate with him or her. The most successful artists will be encouraged to create more work, and to develop an ongoing relationship with the people who buy their artwork.

Proceeds from sale of this artwork go to the Al-Kaabneh Village Council, which will use them as they choose for education, health and infrastructure improvements for the village, such as installing a water pump on the cistern, acquiring additional solar power capacity or expanding wireless communications.

This artwork, coming from people in a settlement thousands of years old, with a culture that traces its roots back to the earliest civilized times, is a powerful statement of identity for the Palestinian artists who create it -- a source of pride and income, a joy to own and display for those who buy it.