The Art Miles Mural Project
an article by Carmen Oulahan

The Art Miles Mural Project took part in the International Day of Peace and the International Day of Peace Summit on September 21, 2003. Murals were exhibited at the United Nations in New York City and created throughout New York and the world. The International Day of Peace and Peace Summit are initiatives of the United Nations International Year of Cultural Heritage and Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.

The Art Miles Mural Project seeks to help further acceptance of peace and ensure equality, through educating individuals and communities about issues related to the environment, democracy, and respect of all human beings. It seeks to promote understanding between people’s of different religious and cultural backgrounds, and to ensure that progress and development are good for everyone. This is done through the creation of murals, where positive personal expression is promoted. We have learned that when people paint side by side, there is no separation of race, religion or economy. People come together to contribute to the communities at large. Peace allows us to gain our own identities freely and openly preventing oppression and exclusion. By war we kill our own identity slowly, and when we fail others, we fail ourselves.

Fouad and Joanne Tawfilis created the project in 1997 when they decided to do something that would teach children understanding and respect. The project was seeded and has spread throughout over 100 countries and is now best known for "creating global harmony". Each Mural Mile, with the exception of the Peace, Unity and Healing Mural Mile, consists of 440 twelve by five foot acrylic painted murals that will be joined together to establish the Guinness Book of World Records for "The Longest Children's Mural in the World". Individual completed mural miles will be donated to major museums throughout the world.

For photos, see the Art Miles Mural Project website.

DISCUSSION

Question(s) related to this article:

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?


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THE ARTS AND A CULTURE OF PEACE

Latest reader comment:

Yes, the arts do create a basis for a culture of peace.
The question I would raise is where are the visual artists who have produced a Guernica like painting of Felluja? Paintings last longer than photographs which are too often fleeting.
Do the poets against the war meet annually?
I caught a bit of an interesting tv show which featured world class artists such as Wole Soyinka speaking in Israel/Palestine about ways to further the peace movement there. Did anyone else see the entire show?
I hope a loscal Peace Day could emulate the UN opening ceremony .

This report was posted on October 4, 2003. The moderator is Tony.

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