UMass Mural "Justice, Diversity, and Opportunity”

A mural representing the art of conflict transformation 

The UMass mural “Justice, Diversity and Opportunity” finds its meaning in who painted it and the context in which they did so—the context of the conflict and efforts to imbed the peace in the north of Ireland/Northern Ireland and the context of UMass’ history and the involvement of its community in the mural’s creation. There is a story behind the mural and stories within the mural that reflect these realities.  

In 2009-2010, the University commissioned the mural as an educational project about conflict, peacebuilding, and the transformative power of art. More than 1200 members of the campus and surrounding communities came hear about the ground-breaking collaboration by Danny Devenny, an Irish republican muralist and former IRA prisoner, and Mark Ervine, a British loyalist muralist have undertaken together as part of the peace process, to watch them create the UMass mural—and many contributed ideas and picked up a paint brush to lend a hand.   

Murals in the northeast of the island of Ireland played a vital role in communities during the most recent experience of the conflict--one that some see as an extension of an on-going conflict that spans over 800 years and others refer to as The Troubles: the period from the late 1960’s until 1998 when the peace accord was signed. In the north/Northern Ireland, an area the size of the U.S. State of Connecticut, more than 2000 murals appeared on the sides of businesses, housing complexes and even billboards in sheep pastures. The murals painted during those 30+ years conveyed powerful messages about experiences of loyalist and republican communities and their views of what the future should look like. Those futures were seemingly irreconcilable, many thought. However, with creativity and dedication, leaders from both communities and the British and Irish governments crafted the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, outlining a democratic structure for equality and for building a shared future. Danny and Mark took up the mantle and for the first time republican and loyalist muralists painted a shared narrative on the wall.   

In the summer of 2007 Mark and Danny undertook their first joint mural on the heels of the historic powersharing government that had begun in May after nine years of struggle to implement the peace accord. They chose a symbolic public space in Belfast and there they and their colleagues replicated Picasso’s anti-war and anti-facism mural, “Guernica.” And because they are leading message-makers—highly visible and respected muralists of their communities, they garnered significant local and international media attention—in fact, by the end of that summer it had become the number one tourist attraction in the UK according to The Independent—they were an inspiration by working together to increase support for the peace process. We are honored that they sent their second joint mural here where it was unveiled at UMass in 2008—and they named it “Painting from the Same Palette” in what became the inaugural event of the Art of Conflict Transformation Event Series.  

In 2009 and 2010, more than 70 faculty, staff, and administrators from six colleges within UMass Amherst collaborated in planning their residency and for almost a year and a half students communicated with Danny and Mark using a blog through which they conveyed their points of pride and what they viewed as unfinished work that UMass needed to complete to make this the best community it could be. The themes represented in our mural were developed by students and include struggles for justice, the power of educational opportunity, immigration and colonization, and strength in both diversity and commonality, all of which they saw as meaningfully relevant to their lives at UMass and in society. 

Examples of images illustrating the major themes: 

• Diversity:

  • Chilean pottery

  • Sun symbol from Taino peoples of Puerto Rico and some other Caribbean islands 

  • Navajo rug 

  • People holding hands, a symbol of solidarity and connection that also appears on the Mason Square mural in Springfield, MA that the muralists painted with youth from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and the Dunbar Community Center as part of the UMass-in-Springfield Initiative 

• Opportunity and the Struggle for Justice: 

  • A peace welcoming in the words of Whatkononwaraton shared with Danny and Mark and students by Mohawk Elder, Tom Porter 

  • The Statue of Liberty: symbolizing welcome and opportunity for so many but not all who arrived on these shores--some in chains and certainly not for so many who were and are indigenous

  • Those in the windows of the Statue’s crown: educators and civil rights activists, almost all of whom have direct ties with UMass and the local area; such as: 

    • Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, father of modern Sociology, Pan-Africanist civil rights activist and women’s rights activist for whom our library is named

    • Dr. Russell A. Hulse (’75), 1993 Nobel Prize winner for Physics—an astronomer (you can seek out the related imagery in the mural) 

    • Dr. Buffy Sainte-Marie, Indigenous Canadian-American from the Piapot Cree Nation (’70, ’90H) Indigenous rights activist, musician who was the 1st Indigenous person to win an Oscar (can you see whose guitar she is holding?) 
       
  • A set of images illustrates the relationship we all have to these themes within the mural: the chains of struggle unweave into the DNA that links us together  (see left side and top of mural)

Mural Painting @ UMass 

The process of creating such a mural was rather magical: Danny and Mark created an environment in which everyone felt welcome. Over 550 graduate and undergraduate students and 650 other members of the UMass and surrounding communities participated. Multiple classes from different disciplines visited to watch them paint and hear their story of reconciliation, and students showed up daily with images to include that spoke to them. Dozens and dozens joined the painting in between their classes; and they weren’t alone as administrators, faculty and staff and community members participated in painting.    

Mark and Danny masterfully took the images and ideas and crafted visuals representing the key themes that are part of UMass’ story and demonstrated the power of the art of conflict transformation; illustrating the importance of not only bridging divides but crafting narratives that reflect shared concerns and hopes for the future even in the face of political differences. There is no time more relevant than now for us to celebrate that and remember that this is possible.   

UMass Mural Events Celebrate Role of Art in Conflict Transformation  

• 2010 
  “Justice, Diversity & Opportunity” was painted during the event series on Contested Geographies and a Shared Future: Conflict Transformation Through Mural Making and was unveiled by Rep. Neal, UMass Chancellor  Holub, Graduate Dean Mullin and faculty member, Dr. Leah Wing    

• 2023 
  As part of the GFA @ 25 event series in the spring of 2023, the mural was professionally restored by Betsy Johnson (photo by John Solem) with support from the Office of the Chancellor and a Mural Rededication ceremony  was held on the date of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement (April 10, 2023) with guest speakers: 

  • Dr. John Kennedy, Vice Chancellor for University Relations, UMass Amherst  

  • Dr. Peter Abbott, OBE, British Consul General to New England  

  • Dr. Laoise Moore, Consul General of Ireland to New England  

  • Danny Devenny, muralist and former Irish Republican Army prisoner  

  • Mark Ervine, British loyalist muralist  

  • Dr. Leah Wing, faculty, Legal Studies Program, Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst 

• March 23, 4-5:30pm EDST
  Negotiating & Implementing the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement: The Role of The Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition Political Party
  Reception follows (in-person & online)
  Info & recording
   
• April 6, 4-5:30pm EDST
  Inside & Outside: Building Grassroots Support for the Peace Talks & 1998 Accord
  (online)
  Info & recording
   
• April 10, 1-2:00pm EDST
  “Justice, Diversity, and Opportunity” Mural Rededication
  Reception follows (in-person and online)
  Info & recording
   
• April 20, 4-5:30pm EDST 
  State Accountability & Dealing with the Legacy of the Past After the Historic 1998 British/Irish Peace Accord
  (online)
  Info & recording
   
• May 4, 4-5:30pm EDST
  Referendum on a United Ireland & the Historic 1998 British/Irish Peace Accord
  (online)
  Info & recording