Project Spotlight:
New Brighton Tree of Life Mural Project
We were delighted to have the opportunity to create a community mural right in our own backyard in the summer of 2019. We were invited by the Mayor and City of New Brighton to create a 30-foot high mural on their community center. Our plan was to work with children from the Community Youth Program (CPY) and Edventures, adults with brain injuries and disabilities from RISE organization, and countless volunteers from the community.
.jpeg)
Like all of Beautiful Project Murals with Pamela, she felt that it is necessary to incorporate the voices of community members into the overall design. She asked 50 of the children from CPY to draw what they felt was beautiful and inspiring. From their 60 drawings Pamela was able to distill the most common threads and design a beautiful mural to be hand painted by the children and community.
We then started prepping the wall for painting.
.jpeg)
Coming Together in Inspiration and Perspiration: Beauty in Diversity
Young and old from all walks of life, for three weeks, we joyfully painted side by side this week in 90 plus degree weather, rain or shine. Each day we enter the Beautiful Project Creative Zone where no cell phones are allowed to fully give our hands and hearts to help bring this giant beauty to life.
Like all of our murals and works of art, the mural was a blend of planned imagery but also a spontaneous unfoldment. Day by day we watch the central feature of the magnificent tree of life coming into being on the mural. Her roots celebrating our deep interconnected nature and importance of foundation in the earth while simultaneously ever expanding her/our branches and leaves into new vistas and possibilities.
What began as a plan to work with children and a few adults blossomed as more community members asked if they could join the project. Over the three weeks, the list of people (ranging in age for 10-75) involved grew to include adults with autism and brain injuries, staff from city hall, the sanitation and police departments, public works, city council members, children from area youth groups, and long-time community citizens and immigrants alike.
.jpg)
Almost the entire painting was painted with brushes no more than 1-inch wide. At over 30 feet tall x 30 feet wide, this is the largest community-created mural of its type in the state of Minnesota. It is a testament to how each of us, regardless of history, experience, age, color or economic background has their own unique and distinct gift, however large or small, that contributes to the whole. May this serve as a reminder that when we come together we can create staggering beauty as an offering to our communities and the world.
