Mural captures global diversity: Large art, large message at Olney High

By Damon C. Williams
October. 30, 2007
Philadelphia Daily News

One brush stroke at a time, contributors to the latest Philadelphia Mural Arts Program project may have just created a perfect model for discussing and celebrating diversity.

Olney High School students joined with students from a housing project in Dublin, Ireland, to create a breathtaking, 180-foot-wide mural that takes up an entire wall of the school's parking lot. "Common Ground: The Global Heritage Mural," will be unveiled during a ceremony this afternoon. The colorful mural depicts a number of multiethnic children in wide frames with silhouettes of their birth countries behind each one.

The Irish students visited Olney twice this year. During their second visit this summer, the students worked on 4-foot-square parachute cloths, sketching out the mural design.

"The mural had a positive impact of bringing people together," said Olney Principal Rita J. Hardy. "You can't really put too much effort into celebrating cultural diversity. And that's the theme - finding a common ground and a global heritage and connection. No matter what you call it, it's beautiful and inspiring.”

Established muralist and lifelong Philadelphian James Burns was responsible for the final layout of the mural and for painting it on Olney's wall, and he, too, was impressed with the cooperation between the groups, although he was "a little nervous" at the start of the project. "This is the first time I worked with so many people," Burns said. "We had 100 kids from Philly and 10 from Ireland." He noted that this was the first time he collaborated via the Internet for a project of this magnitude. By computer, they brainstormed and decided on design and color schemes.

"After 20 minutes into it, it was great to see how the kids were engaging each other," Burns said.

Olney senior Monica Mathieu was one of the leading student artists to work on the mural, and an image of Mathieu appears in the mural. She seemed most impressed with the lasting legacy she helped create. "It was a great experience," Mathieu said. "I never thought I'd work on an actual mural, so I'm very proud. The Ireland kids were real different, but I'm happy we were able to hang out with the Ireland kids and interact with students from a different country," she said.

Not lost on the participants is the huge boost this will give the neighborhood, Burns said. "I'm really happy about the way the community received it," Burns said. "I was told it wasn't the best of neighborhoods [when we started], but I've seen nothing but the best of people up here."

"I talked with the principal, and she said it was great to see the mural going up in the neighborhood. I hope it leads to some community activism."

Hardy agreed with Burns' assessment. "It's so appropriate to have this diverse image on the side of our building, given the diversity of our students," Hardy said.

"It really is a community effort."

The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is headed by Jane Golden, and the impetus for this mural was her 2003 Eisenhower Fellowship to Ireland.