Open Hands: Heal the World

Open Hands, an interactive art experiment, will challenge your community to highlight the valuable contribution each member offers for the welfare of our planet. Site-specific, yet also universal in scope, Open Hands explores our shared humanity and the importance of connecting with others. By remembering one of our childhood lessons, “It is better to give than receive,” we can make the world a better place.

To create this project, participants from diverse locations, backgrounds, and ages trace their handprint on a piece of a paper map. Then they respond to this question: “What is one thing we can do to help heal the world?” The ongoing creation and collection of map handprints represent the way the Earth links us. Though our world faces enormous challenges, we can make a difference by opening our hands to the needs of others and helping to heal the place where we live.

Are you interested in commissioning Pamela or hosting one of her hands-on exhibitions, presentations, or creative care programs for your organization or community? Contact Pamela.

Read the inspirational story behind Open Hands…

Open Hands (Sketch), Paper collage panels, 9x4 feet, 2018

Open Hands debuts on the streets of New York City in 2018, initiating cultural moments.

While traversing the country, artist Pamela Alderman engages people with the question, “How can we help heal our broken world?”

Open Hands gives students across the country an opportunity to think about how they can help their communities.

Elementary students in Denver trace their handprints and record their responses on a paper map.

In San Francisco, California, and Austin, Texas, Open Hands sparks discussions about closing our phones and opening our hands to the needs of others.

Participants in Washington, D.C. consider how they can be part of the solution in our divided culture.

In Chicago, intentional conversations and shared art experiences empowered individuals to make a difference.

The interactive healing art encourages a movement of hope and compassion, in St Louis, to help create a better future together.

While retracing the U.S. Civil Rights Trail and commemorating the lives of two American heroes, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., some locals asked if they could take part in the Open Hands project.

Open Hands invites strangers to collaborate, engage in thoughtful dialogue, and contribute to the common good of the planet.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals have participated in Pamela's hands-on installations since 2010. Drawing on her own journey towards restoration, her work continues to expand to new communities, focusing on finding solutions to life's challenges. Contact Pamela today to commission an interactive project, virtual experience, or inspiring presentation—utilizing art as a healing tool.