Karen Blessen is the first graphic artist named as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize. She is Executive Artistic Director and Founder of 29 Pieces; creator and facilitator of 29 Pieces Education: Artists Making a Kinder World program, Executive Director of The Dallas LOVE Project, Executive Director of the Piece 24 Project, the Piece 10 Project, Dallas Teachers Speak, Dallas Students Speak and The American LOVE Project — all 29 Pieces projects. 29 Pieces uses art to awaken, uplift and give voice to the creative human spirit to make genuine positive social change – Monumental Change through Monumental Art29 Pieces Education: Artists Making a Kinder World is an art-based, 20-lesson curriculum, developed by Karen Blessen and support staff, in response to a murder that occurred in front of Karen’s home. Artists Making a Kinder World is the education of the human heart and teaches social and emotional learning and life skills - through lessons such as SANCTUARY, THRIVE, EMPATHY, HOPE, LOVE, HEROES & HEROINES AND MORE. More than 120,000 students have participated, and 1250 teachers have been trained to teach 29 Pieces Education: Artists Making a Kinder World.Karen Blessen led The Dallas LOVE Project – an extension of the 29 Pieces LOVE lesson. In 2013, it was a city-wide art exhibition in which 29 Pieces led 120 community partners, 20,000 people who created 10,000 pieces of art with a theme of universal love, and more than 300 volunteers, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. 10,000 pieces of art were installed and exhibited at 67 venues across Dallas, including The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Love Field, Bank of America, Comerica Bank and many other. After the initial exhibit, 5,000 pieces were distributed to 25 institutions, serving 2,500 people. The press impact of the Dallas LOVE Project was far reaching:185 million media impressions, from 65 local, national and international stories (PR Week magazine 3/7/2014).

Clients included: Absolut Vodka, The Times Square Business Improvement District (now the Times Square Alliance), The Dallas Morning News, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Simon and Schuster, American Lawyer, The American Red Cross, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Galison Press, The Gap, The Greenwich Village Alliance, Hadassah, Harcourt-Brace, Hyatt Regency Hotel DFW Airport, JC Penney, Klutz Publishing, The League of American Theatres, The Little Orchestra Society at Lincoln Center, The Los Angeles Times, Loyola University, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, Money Magazine, National Geographic, Neiman Marcus, NYC + Co., RCA, Seagram’s, Smart Money, Texas Instruments, UCLA Magazine, The University of Nebraska, Adobe Software, and The Wall Street Journal. Major Projects Included:Art and graphics, Times Square Business Improvement District, NYC, 1994 — 2002.Developed art which created the signature ‘brand’ of the New Times Square in New York City; including posters, billboards, banners, publications, guidebooks, website, and events.Rail Station Art and Design, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), 2002 — 2009Illustrator, Peace One Day, 2005Illustrated Peace One Day, published in 2005 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons — a children’s picture book that tells the story of British filmmaker and activist Jeremy Gilley’s successful quest to have the United Nations name September 21 as The International Day of Peace. The Park Ridge Center, Chicago, IL, 1997 — 2002Designed publications, conceived and created artwork for The Park Ridge Center, a bio-ethics think tank that explored issues of health, faith, and ethics, through the prism of the teachings of the major faith traditions. Absolut Vodka, 1991 — 1996Chosen to represent Texas for the Absolut Statehood Series, benefiting the Design Industry Foundation for AIDS. The work was published in TIME Magazine, USA Today, and as fine arts prints. Created art for Absolut billboards, print ads, and display materials.