The Peace Mural in Georgetown is a Must See in DC!

[Anu]

Hello all!

Check out the peace mural in Georgetown. There are a bunch of great
events this weekend (go to www.peacemural.org) and also this coming
Saturday. (see below)

And for those of you interested, I wrote up some of my thoughts after
visiting this incredible mural. See below below for that!

anu


SATURDAY DECEMBER 13

The Common Folk Awards
One Common Unity, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC is
recognizing stories seldom heard, of those nurturing the world through
peace education, arts, and media.
This will be a beautiful evening and celebration filled with musical &
dance performances, speakers, silent auction, and award presentations.

Saturday, December 13, 2008
7:30 PM Reception
8:30 PM Program Begins

Peace Mural Foundation Exhibit
http://www.peacemural.org/

3336 M St. NW
Washington D.C. 20007

International Award Recipient: Andersen Sa (Favella Rising, Brazil)
National Award Recipient: Climbing PoeTree (New York)
Local Award Recipient: Brother Bey (Washington, DC)

Guest Invited Performers and Speakers include:

Courtney Dowe, Mikuak Rai, Ras-D, Luci Murphy, The Young Women's
Drumming Empowerment Project, Olu Butterfly, Aysha Upchurch, The
Cornell West Theory, Dr. James Gordon, Ayanna Gregory, Princess of
Controversy, Bomani Armah, Jali-D, Monica McIntyre, and Brother Ah.

Tickets $20.00

Dress Festive
Appetizers during reception provided by Java Green Eco Café & Bus Boys
& Poets. Funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts &
Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for
the Arts.

Receive your tickets at the door or online:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/49995
For more information:
www.OneCommonUnity.org
OneComm...@gmail.com
(phone) 202.529.2125


----------------------

and now for my ramble....

I just came back home from performing at a Witness for Peace
fundraiser at a gallery in Georgetown, and I had the pleasure of
seeing a huge mural, spanning 15 years of work by a completely self-
taught artist from Vietnam. Her art is literally spilling out from
every wall space in this gallery.

Visual artist Huong fled Vietnam on one of the last boats before the
fall of Saigon. She left her career as a journalist and picked up the
brush to paint. I'm so glad she decided to paint.

I strongly encourage every lover of art to see this mural. If you are
not in DC, come to DC or just wait. This mural may pass through your
neck of the woods if it hasn't already. Her use of text is also
brilliant. She uses text from interviews, quotes, testimonies and
poetry of people affected by war, and even simply notes people have
written to her on her own paintings.

She was at the exhibit and when she spoke, it was with a passion
ignited by something so strongly and clearly loving. She smiled and
laughed and the everyone in the room grew softer with her. It was
truly captivating to be in her presence, such was her lightness of
being.

This may sound silly to say, but it struck me deeply, what she modeled
as a person speaking with such genuine compassion and enthusiasm to us
strangers in the room -- and also the rays of light and hope her mural
offers, tempered by awareness of the wounds, scarring of war and
healing left to be done.

see this mural, and if you do, let me know what you thought.

anu