Painting from the Same Palette: Mural Unveiling
An historic mural from Belfast, Northern Ireland, "Painting from the Same Palette," will be unveiled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in coordination with events celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Recently completed, this mural was painted by two artists whose communities were previously at war, Danny Devenny, former Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, and Mark Ervine, son of David Ervine, former Progressive Unionist Party leader and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) member. This unique step comes on the heels of the historic power sharing in government that began in May 2007, after nine years of struggle to implement the Good Friday Agreement.
U.S. Congressman, Richard E. Neal, will speak and the artists, Danny Devenny and Mark Ervine, will be taking part in the event via webcast.
"During the war, the murals told the story of injustices we experienced. Now they show hope for the future," said Danny Devenny. Mark Ervine pointed out that there have been more than 1,000 murals in Belfast, which constantly change to reflect the communities' concerns about the conflict. "Now hopefully this is the beginning of ones that will reflect the peace," Mark stated.
This event is sponsored by the UMass Amherst College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the UMass Amherst Graduate School along with the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution, Department of Legal Studies, Psychology of Peace and Violence Concentration, Department of Psychology, Electronic Enterprise Institute, and Social Justice Mediation Institute.
