Art is a powerful thing. It's amazing to witness what
can be created with a few little boxes of crayons and fifty feet of white butcher paper. The paper is rolled out
on the floor, the children gather around it. At first there is silence. All that empty paper, all those children. Then one
child begins to draw. Then another and another and right before your eyes this blank sheet of paper is transformed into a
fifty foot work of art. It's the most increadable thing to witness.
Some of the children who participate in the project have survived unbelievable situations. One
of the exchanges included Tibetan children who just the week before had crossed the Himalaya's on foot to
be relocated in India and Nepal. In most cases they left their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters behind in
Tibet and would never see them again. It's amazing how resilient these kids are. You come away from one of these exchanges
with the feeling that anything is possible.
It is the goal of The Mural Project to
provide children with the opportunity and supplies to express their creativity while learning about children in other
parts of the world through the powerful and universal language of art. Through the video documentation and personal
delivery of artwork each project has a very personal aspect. The Mural Project began in the Spring of 1996. Since that time there have been art exchanges between
schools in the United States and schools and organizations throughout the world including Thailand, Namibia,
Morocco, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, India, Zambia, Mexico, Tibet and Nepal to name just a few.
If your school would like to participate in an exchange or if you would like
further information about the project, please contact us at the e-mail address listed below.
