Dedication Ceremony

The mural is complete! We finished it after midnight the day before the dedication ceremony. See more photos from the dedication ceremony along with project photos at: http://www.oshmuralartsprogram.blogspot.com

Mural Arts Program - HIV/AIDS Project -Day 2&3

Everyday is very exciting as we cover great expanses of wall with color. Originally the mural was going to be 12 feet wide by 9 feet tall, but the team got excited and we decided to do the entire wall which is 15 feet wide by 30 feet tall. The team works Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. We expect to finish this next week. Already, we've received 3 additional job offers from passerbys.

Mural Arts Program - HIV/AIDS Project

To see that first splash of color go on the wall is an exhillirating moment especially when I've been working for months organizing numerous community meetings, connecting various groups and putting it all together for a small grant and implementation. All of it was worth the effort. The mural team is comprised of 2 local professional master artists, students from the local art university and 3 Non Government Organizations (NGOs) in cooperation with the local city government. The project is funded by the President's Emergency Proposal for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and in kind contributions by the community.

The photos show a meeting with students describing the project. The master artists talking about the final design that is a compilation of the student designs that he and his artist wife finalized. We had 3 days of training about HIV/AIDS, mural making and positive messages. Also, there are two images of stencils the artists made (only getting 3 hours sleep that night) on day 2 of painting.

Playing Baseball with JICA

Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is Japan's version of Peace Corps. We recently competed in a whiffle ball baseball game against them and as they say here... Friendship Won! Most of them knew English, however some we had to use Russian to communicate. It was an interesting experience, especially with their interesting Japanese style baseball chants and mannerism compared to how we know it in America.