Painting Murals with Ebola Survivors in Africa
The Mural Man - Murals # 43 & # 44 | Store
..."I know, I know, be careful what you wish for, but this was more than I could possibly have wished for. The reply was from the embassy in Liberia. The Public Affairs Officer wanted me to paint two murals with Liberians who survived the Ebola outbreak! In my mind, anyone who survived Ebola should be considered a national treasure, but that wasn't the case in Africa. Those poor people were stigmatized in society. The hope was that involving them in a community project would help with their re-integration. It was already an amazing opportunity. But, it got even better. One mural would be in Zorzor and the other would be in Zwedru. Yep, my Zwedru! After more than twenty-five years, a horribly violent civil war that ripped the country apart and that terrifying Ebola epidemic, I was going back home."~Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
Mural 43 - Zwedru
..."Zorzor had several professional artists and four or five of them were among the twelve to help with the mural project. Upon discussion at our first meeting, we came up with a theme. Zwedru was more developed than Zorzor. There was much more electricity and availability to water. Their issues
of concern included are illustrated left to right on the mural: Safe Roads - Improved Health Care - Food Security - Education - Traditions and the Importance of Family. However, the best idea of the session came from one of the youngest people present. Patrick, an incredible artist in his own right, tied everyone’s ideas together. He suggested that there be a light in the center of the design. It should represent a light shining the way for a new Liberia."~Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
..."Zorzor had several professional artists and four or five of them were among the twelve to help with the mural project. Upon discussion at our first meeting, we came up with a theme. Zwedru was more developed than Zorzor. There was much more electricity and availability to water. Their issues
of concern included are illustrated left to right on the mural: Safe Roads - Improved Health Care - Food Security - Education - Traditions and the Importance of Family. However, the best idea of the session came from one of the youngest people present. Patrick, an incredible artist in his own right, tied everyone’s ideas together. He suggested that there be a light in the center of the design. It should represent a light shining the way for a new Liberia."~Phillip Martin, The Mural Man
Mural 43 - Zorzo "Usually, I get the theme for my murals by talking to some kind of administrators. That didn’t happen in Zorzor. Any and all authority figures abandoned me as I met with the dozen or so painters I was to work with. I had no idea what kind of theme they’d come up with. I was very pleasantly surprised. Their concerns for their community could be summed up in three categories - Electricity, Education and Water. All of which were considered pretty much basics back home in the United States of America, but not in Zorzor. So, this was the information that was woven into the mural design. The concepts were illustrated inside the letters that spelled "Zorzor". However, those letters weren’t obvious. You would need to study the design a while to find the spelling."~Phillip Martin, The Mural Man |
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Mural Man Directory | Mural Man | 2016 Mural Man Series | Artist Phillip Martin |
Blog: Wander My World With Me | Store
Mural Man Directory | Mural Man | 2016 Mural Man Series | Artist Phillip Martin |
Blog: Wander My World With Me | Store