Fair Vendor                                                Illustration by Julie Z. Russo

 Gathering with friends and family next week for Thanksgiving, we give thanks for the abundance of food on the table, the company we share, and the privilege of living in an America the Native Americans and pilgrims helped establish. We also remember those who are alone and in need, and reach out to them with our time and support. As educators, the fall curriculum seems to be getting more condensed as students celebrate their heritage and many traditions between holidays. Students are moving on to the next celebration, while teachers try to integrate the cultural and historic symbolism of these events in their lesson plans.

  Two educators with a strong belief that art like holidays can inspire us in unique and enduring ways are featured this month at City Serene. These artists motivate us to examine our actions and express ourselves in ways that create a more tolerant and sustainable future. For Ms. Newton, this meant confronting racism in her small town in works of fiction, something students growing up today may forget living in a more integrated society, Ms. Newton said. For Mr. McGrain, this involved installing large-scale sculptures of extinct birds at the sites where they were last witnessed as a testimony of their disappearance, as well as the conviction that these extinctions should not be permitted to happen again.

  In an age of materialism and consumerism, City Serene helps readers consider ways to practice a more environmentally sensitive life. My wishes for a peaceful holiday season.

Julie Z. Russo
publisher, City Serene