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MOREart! intends to bring diverse youths together to promote understanding Date published: 2/18/2007
By LAURA L. HUTCHISON
A small group of Fredericksburg young people met for the first time yesterday to embark on a project that they were told repeatedly will make history. With the help of two professional artists, the eight city school students will create a mosaic mural, 8 feet high and 31 feet long, that will be installed on the back of a warehouse building at Roxbury Farm and Garden Center. "You will be able to show your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren for years to come and tell them about the coming together that created this," said Xavier Richardson, vice president of the Multicultural OutReach Effort, which is sponsoring the project. MORE is made up of city leaders of all ages and diverse ethnic backgrounds. The group's goal is to "create opportunities to bring people together who, through where they work or live or through their daily lives, aren't coming together," said Susan Spears, MORE president. With flowers, leaves, dragonflies, sun and sky, the mural designed by project organizer Suzanne Moe offers these words: "Nurture Diversity" and "Cultivate Harmony." Getting kids involved in the project, and in diversity efforts, is vital, Richardson said. "You are going to be the true bearers of our message, the vision we have to make harmonious a diverse community," Richardson told the students yesterday. Most of the students chosen to participate learned about the project through their art teachers. Each had to fill out an application expressing interest, and each will devote time just about every Wednesday to crafting the mural. The mural will be installed the week of June 18. At their first meeting yesterday, on the stage in the auditorium at the original Walker-Grant School, the students learned a bit about the tools they'll use, about mosaics and about each other through team-building exercises. Though all of the students have an interest in art, none has done mosaics yet. "I wanted to do this because I knew we would make history and I like giving back to the community for all it's done for me," said Joy Cunningham, 14. "I think it'll make the final product more meaningful since it will be done with people from so many different backgrounds." Ashley McNeil, 13, was looking forward to trying a new medium. "I want to get started. I'm ready to start smashing tiles!" she said from behind a grin. "I'm really excited about seeing it at the end. I think it's going to be really pretty." Rudy Gutierrez, at 18 the oldest of the students on the project, said it was hard to find words to describe his feelings. "Just everything. The whole thing," he said. "It brings everyone together, brings the community closer together. I'm speechless." It will cost about $13,000 for supplies to create the mural, and MORE is doing fundraising for the project. Members of the team are all donating their time and talents. Laura L. Hutchison: 540/374-5485
Date published: 2/18/2007
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