The Peace Chain in Clay by John Trinkl

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In a world of Mega-Corporations, Mega-Bucks, and Mega-Cynicism, can one person make a difference? Joe Murphy, aka JoePeace thinks so. For the last seven years artist Joe Murphy has been fashioning small clay pieces, each with the word "Peace" on them, and distributing them far and wide. "I'm using clay to demonstrate how an idea can grow, " he says. The small clay objects can be put on a bracelet, a necklace or just be a reminder of the ideal of peace. Each is in a unique shape, reflecting patterns that occur in nature or others that are of human creation. Murphy, who is an artist in Berkeley, California, so far has made 156, 973 pieces. How does he know? "I count them, " he says. His work has shown up in countries around the world and on all continents including Antarctica. The word "Peace" is printed in 70 different languages on the clay pieces and he is on the lookout for more languages to include. His marketing plan: spread the idea of peace. His return on investment: zero. Murphy gives his clay pieces away--but does not refuse donations. He supports himself on his other work as an artist. His distribution channel: giving away the peace amulets at events in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also toured with a rock band last year, distributing the pieces at major cities around the U. S. "What I'm doing is using my art to spread an idea, " Murphy says. He also has a web site. (http://www.well.com/www/joepeace). "With a computer I'm able to reach many more people. It provides another way to show how an idea can grow. " He compares his "Peace Chain" to the World Wide Web--both spread ideas in a decentralized fashion.