one word - Peace

“Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away.”

“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination.”
- Robert Fulghum, American author, 1937 -

“Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”
- Malcolm X, African-American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist, 1925 - 1965

“Deep experience is never peaceful.”
- Henry James, American author, 1843 – 1916

Buddha mind in Contemporary Art -Jacquelynn Baas, Mary Jane Jacob
I haven't read this book yet, but it seems like it would fit the bill nicely.
[from Amazon] Elucidating the common ground between the creative mind, the perceiving mind, and the meditative mind, the contributors tackle essential questions about the relationship of art and life. Among the writers are curators, art critics, educators, and Buddhist commentators in psychology, literature, and cognitive science. They consider the many Western artists today who recognize the Buddhist notion of emptiness, achieved through focused meditation, as a place of great creative potential for the making and experiencing of art. The artists featured in the interviews, all internationally recognized, include Maya Lin, Bill Viola, and Ann Hamilton.

Click here for excerpts on Google books.

In an ongoing attempt to reinvigorate my sense and desire for my art to be edifying, uplifting, and refreshing, I've chosen “peace” as my word for the week. Perhaps there is a zen-like quality to harnessing the peace and stillness I long for myself and instilling it into my work. Hope, Peace, and even love- is it possible to make work like this? Is Rothko's work peaceful? How about Sugimoto's? Bill Viola = peace? Are there universals in art that result in a majority of people reading a certain piece to be peaceful? Perhaps just a select few will receive peace. Perhaps they are the ones that need it the most? Maybe the word i should do is "calm"?

Mark Rothko

Bill Viola

Hiroshi Sugimoto

How about Risaku Suzuki?

Rinko Kawauchi

Orie Ichihashi

Junko Ohara

Do the Japanese have monopoly on peace?

How about James Turrell

Does it matter that some lady was so enraptured by his work that she lost her balance and broke her arm? Is it possible to break a bone peacefully?

And back to sound, what do you think of this piece? Peaceful? or just sleepy?

How about this one?
GlassMarimbaFrogCaller by stephenvitiello

Does this video piece make you feel peaceful?

Sigur Rós - Svefn-G-Englar from Sigur Rós on Vimeo.