narnia | Global Junior Challenge

In 1996 the first peace mural was created by Bosnian children in an orphanage.

1. Project summary

Summary:

The Art Miles Mural Project consists of twelve one mile long acrylic painted murals on canvas involving twelve distinct themes—The Multicultural Diversity Mile, The Environmental Mile, Sports, Music, Women, Senior, Celebrity, Fairy Tale, Peace, Unity and Healing, Mentor, and The Indigenous Peoples Mile. Each of these murals is twelve foot (12’) long by five foot (5’) wide. There are 440 canvasses per mile and a total of 5,280 murals will be joined together in 2010.

The Art Miles Mural Project forms collaborations with numerous organizations, groups, conference support organizations, hospitals, foundations, and educational and cultural entities within different countries. One of these organizations is the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)(www.iearn.org) and Art Miles is one of their 85 collaborative art projects. Art Miles has recently established a contact with an Italian representative in that country who lives in Narnia, Italy, geographically located outside of Rome and of which the C.S.Lewis "Narnia" books and films were developed around.

At the beginning of 2002, over 500 murals had been completed by children from over 80 countries ranging from Bangladesh to the Seychelles, Europe, Latin American, Asia, and Australia. Children with no hands have completed them with their feet, blind children have painted to music, and Peruvian street children have painted them by candlelight. Teachers on vacation have carried canvas and paint in their backpacks instead of carrying clothing, through the Himalayas to children in Nepal and Mongolia. Schools, churches, YMCA’s, Boys and Girls Clubs and Kids at Risk programs, after school groups, homeless shelters, multicultural organizations and festivals, hospitals, private and commercial companies, and environmental groups, have been among the many organizations that have hosted the mural happenings. Many murals have shown their "healing power" and kids in camps sponsored by the American Cancer Society, and other organizations have seen the effect and dimensions of joy children have experienced from working on the Art Mile Mural Project.

2. Country (City / Region)

State:

Italy

City:

Narni

3. Company/organization/institute presenting the project

Organization:

Art Miles Mural Project

4. Type of organization

Select type:

Other

Other:

not profit

5. Project coordinator

Name and Surname:

Giuseppe Fortunati

E-Mail:

fgiusepp2@tin.it

6. Website

The website of the project:

http://www.the-art-miles-mural-project.org/

7. Please select the category in which you candidate your project

Youth Education Project. Select Project Users by age:

Up to 29 years

Helping youth step in the job market:

NOT Helping youth step in the job market

Creativity and Social Innovation:

Creativity and Social Innovation

8. How long has your project been running?

From:

31/12/2008

9. Targets and Elements of Innovation

Please explain the targets and the background of your project:

The objective of the project is to create global harmony through art, one mural at a time, one mile at a time. Therefore it is the PROCESS that is emphasized in the creation of what has turned into a monumental global endeavor. The collaborative project has ignited spontaneity and freedom of expression by bringing individuals or groups together where not only creating murals has resulted, but also friendships established, and understanding, cultural awareness, respect, and simply having fun have been realized as sustainable benefits. The project has gained a formidable reputation in its ability to foster community development, literacy, and positive activities for people of all ages and locations.

What does it try to achieve and how:

More than 40,000 people from 100+countries, including those with disabilities and special needs, have completed over 1,300 murals. A large emphasis is placed on encouraging children to paint murals and the project is officially recognized as a vital contribution of arts in support of the UNESCO Decade for the Culture of Peace and Non Violence Among Children of the World, the UN Millennium Development Goals, and the Convention for the Rights of the Child.

Which opportunities/problems does it address to:

Since the Bosnian war, this was the first instance where people came
together laughing and smiling. This then inspired Joanne and her husband Fouad to
create the Art Miles Mural Project. This project is part of a worldwide effort to
actively endorse global harmony.

Now all around the world students work in a multicultural way.

Please explain what is unique or special in your project:

10. Results

Describe the results of your project as per today:

How does it fulfill the users’ needs:

see this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY9vuz12fEE

How many users interact with your project per month and what are the preferred forms of interaction:

We have friends all around the world that work in this project.
Till now More than 40,000 people from 100+countries, including those with disabilities and special needs, have completed over 1,300 murals.

How has it improved the quality of educational and/or training services:

1. To enhance individuals’ understanding of global issues by thinking and discussing
the theme of a muraland to encourage children and youths to be independent
and responsible for their thoughts and behaviors throughthe activity of creating
a mural in a group.
2. To broaden individual's outlook open to the world
by seeing their own works exhibited in any place of the earth.

How has it improved the participation of professionals, children, youth and other stakeholders:

connects children in the world by Art Miles Mural Project
. .and makes a difference to creat a global harmoney through art.
All peoples works for the same project.

How does it promote the use of ICT for the educational and cultural development by professionals, children and youth:

We use internet for been in touch see for exemple

Describe how you measure (parameters) these results:

we work for craete murales and this is our goals.

11. Sustainability

What is the full duration of your project:

More than 6 years

What is the approximate total budget for your project (in USD):

Less than 10.000

What is the source of funding for your project:

Sponsorships

Is your project economically self sufficient now:

Yes

Insert date:

03/02/2009

12. Transferability

Has your project been replicated/adapted elsewhere:

Yes

Specify:

all around the world and intercultural project are in Japan and Italy many exemple
see also
http://www.narnia.it/murales_eu.htm

What lessons can others learn from your project:

work togheter in a creative way

http://www.narnia.it/fauzia_eu.htm

We are available to help others starting or working on similar projects:

We are available to help others starting or working on similar projects.

13. Background information

Background:

The Art Miles Mural Project has been featured in scores of local, state, national and international media, a variety of television programs and has been a subject of video films and documentaries, and as a special feature in the International Children’s Art Foundation (ICAF) Child Art Magazine.

Many of the murals have also been showcased in a variety of exhibitions, galleries, museums, and public buildings, including the American Museum of Natural History and at Ground Zero in New York City. This project, based on it’s overwhelming popularity, has also become the premiere activity for major conferences ranging from the International Children’s Environmental Health Conference in Washington, DC, National Network for Youth Conferences, and the United Nations Environment Program International Children’s Conference on the Environment, the USA Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations.

Based on the popularity of this project and it’s global appeal, an invitation was extended by the government of the City of Mexico City and their National Gallery of Art to bring The Art Miles to the famed Teotihuacan Pyramids during the Vernal Equinox (March 21, 2002). The event was chronicled as one of Mexico’s most amazing historical events. It actually started a tradition to be carried forward in years to come and help promote Mexico’s architectural and tourist wonders. The objective of this project was to focus on children and to support UNESCO’s oversight of the United Nations Year of Cultural Heritage during the Decade of the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence Among Children of the World, by inviting students from Mexico City’s seventy-five (75) school districts to paint murals on site. This was, indeed an incredible opportunity for children and visitors to watch first hand, children express what is in their hearts during one of Mother Nature’s most spiritual moments. Local, National and International media were present and many interviews and follow up articles have been published.

Additional mural marathon events have since taken place in Pakistan, Lebanon, Austria, Slovakia, Spain and most recently Egypt, with more than 2,000 children painting murals during summer activities.

Barriers:

money and custom

Solutions:

Watching the mural be created was gratifying because it was intriguing to watch
what people painted. The artists were quite diverse, but they all came together for the
common goal of promoting world peace.

Future plans and wish list:

Start for piramides with the 2010 Event at Giza and Sharm El Sheikh

There are 440 canvasses per mile and a total of 5,280 murals will be joined together in 2010 in Egypt .

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