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Our town getting us together

July 27, 2007 12:35 am

THE CREATION of the Multicultural Out-Reach Effort in 2004 came as a result of a simple vision: to create avenues that will bring diverse people together.

My hope was to bridge the divide that prevents people from speaking to one another. I wanted people to discover that although our outside appearances vary, we learn, dream, love, cry, hear, grow, smell, laugh, see, eat, and feel pain the same way. We are one as human beings.

That vision has not changed. MORE is about bringing people together, recognizing our differences, and celebrating them. We advanced our mission ten-fold with the MOREart! community mosaic mural project.

The magnificent mural that you can now view at Roxbury Farm & Garden Center took nearly two years to reach completion. MORE board member and artist Suzanne Moe presented her concept over a year and a half ago.

The project went through a full "board" process before moving to the next stage--contacting Roxbury to determine if they even wanted a mosaic mural on their property. I think it's safe to say that our community was blessed when Roxbury's powers-that-be said yes!

Moe asked fellow mosaic artist Andrea Shreve Taylor to coordinate the project with her. We were again blessed when Taylor agreed.

The next step was finding students willing to volunteer their time once a week for five months. This commitment would culminate in a full week of sweaty, hot work just as the school year was ending--a time when they would likely prefer to be hanging out beside a swimming pool and taking it easy.

Nine wonderful kids, ranging in age from 11 to 18, heeded the call and made the lengthy pledge. Under Moe's and Taylor's tutelage, the Youth Art Team grew into a true team of leaders. This diverse group of kids learned skills that world-traveled artisans can only dream about, and by the end of the project, they would have enabled nearly 300 volunteers to assemble a mosaic mural. Incredible!

The mural was installed in mid-June. That first morning was hotter than blazes and there were only a handful of volunteers on site, ready to tackle this enormous, empty cinder-block wall. We began the daunting task at 9:00 a.m.; by 10:00 a.m. a steady stream of supporters were strolling in, sleeves rolled up, asking, "How can I help?"

They came in every form imaginable--old (up to 94), young (down to an infant!), skinny, hefty, weak, strong, blond, brunette, red-headed, gray-haired, Mohawked, bald, African- American, Asian, Latino, Indian, Caucasian, "come- heres," natives, pretty, plain, alone, in groups, with siblings, tall, short, loud, quiet, brooding, and yes, especially happy. There were artists, students, laborers, small- business owners, mothers, fathers, grandparents, elected officials, teachers, executives, musicians, architects, realtors, nonprofit workers, doctors, and many, many children.

Most of us had never worked with mosaics. The Youth Art Team masterfully showed us how to break tiles and apply them to the wall. They also placed cold, wet towels around our necks, signed in volunteers, and worked side by side on the mural. I never heard them complain.

At 3:00 p.m. on Friday, June 22, Moe and Taylor raised a celebratory toast of sparkling cider to the Youth Art Team and told them their work was "officially" over. Since there were still tasks to accomplish, many of the team, and other community volunteers, continued to help over the next week or so prior to the grand unveiling ceremony.

All together, we had just shy of 300 volunteers whose hands touched the wall during its creation and nearly 50 others who contributed funds or in-kind services.

When the time came for the Unveiling Ceremony on July 6, the Youth Art Team arrived to much fanfare via the Fredericksburg trolley.

I recognized the many faces of Fredericksburg in the large crowd gathered on Jackson Street--known and unknown, all in one way or another moved by what we all had created. All were impacted because we, as a community, for a beautiful, brief moment in time, came together as one toward a common goal.

The entire community can be proud of the MOREart! mural, a unique and glorious piece of art that will forever beautify our city and our souls. As it was unveiled, the crowd surged forward, eager to touch it. Time stood still as hundreds of people gently awaited their turn to place their hands on the mural.

That time will be forever etched in my spirit as a moment of complete joy. John Lennon was singing quietly in my head, "You may say I'm a dreamer/but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you will join us/and the world will live as one."