US, May 5, (Pal Telegraph ) WA – Come celebrate the completion of this dynamic, interactive mural at a free event at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, May 8 at the Labor Temple building, corner of State and Capitol Streets, downtown Olympia. The Mural Speaks event is more than a mural commemoration; it’s a public art project that has galvanized and touched local residents, as well as individuals and groups nationwide and globally. The Mural Speaks is also the finale to the People’s Assembly, May 8th, 9-5, a gathering of Olympia’s grassroots organizers to discuss the US Social Forum and other strategies moving forward (For more information: http://omjp.net).

The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project furthers Rachel Corrie’s dream of building a sister city relationship between Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine, where she was killed in 2003, and Olympia, Washington, USA, where she grew up and attended The Evergreen State College.

“Through collaborative art the mural educates and raises awareness that human rights are universal – everyone deserves a viable life,” says Susan Greene, a clinical psychologist and muralist, who conceived of the project.

The 100-foot-long mural is located on the north wall of the Labor Temple building, at the corner of State and Capitol Streets in downtown Olympia WA. It features an enormous olive tree with more than 150 leaves representing issues of environmental justice, racism, colonialism, rights of indigenous peoples, and anti-war movements, and that range from the Americas to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. This summer, a related effort, the Rafah Public Art Project will be completed in the town of Rafah in Gaza, Palestine.

The Olympia Rafah Solidarity Mural embraces innovative technology. Viewers can use a cell phone to call and hear the creator of each leaf talk about its meaning and theme. Some artists have included poetry and/or music to add cultural flavor to the image and the audio soundscape.

Conceived in 2008 by Susan Greene in collaboration with San Francisco’s Freedom Archives, and created by program designer Sam Stoller, this audio/visual computer technology is also available on the mural’s web site (http://olympiarafahmural.org/). It adds a powerful and dynamic dimension to the project, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach to communicate the message of the mural and each component, as well as the history, mission, and goals of each participating artist or organization.

“It was very exciting to include electronically-provided images from Gaza school-age children alongside art by Olympian school-age children,” Greene says. “We were able to use technology to include images and ideas from those in another part of the world who couldn’t come to Olympia and work on the mural.”

The mural features artwork by numerous local, national and international artists and organizations. Olympia and Washington State contributors include Pastors for Peace; GRUB, a gardening and youth empowerment program; International Trauma Treatment Program; Buddhist Temple of Bainbridge Island; Black Student Union, Evergreen State College; Safe Place Women’s Shelter; anti-war and veterans groups; KOWA-FM; several organizations in solidarity with Latin America; labor organizations; and others.

National contributors include Common Ground in New Orleans; Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism--San Francisco; Pomo Indians; Indigenous Youth Delegation--San Francisco; and Valarie James, Arizona artist and creator of the sculptural installation “The Mothers; Las Madres,” a response to the human suffering and ongoing death of migrants crossing the Mexican/American border.

Ziad Deeb, a Gazan artist who lost both legs and his family in the January 2009 Israeli bombings of the Gaza Strip is represented, along with a Palestinian soccer team named for Rachel Corrie; Indonesian muralists Sama Sama (“together”); the Bogside Muralists from Derry, Ireland; artists with Middle East Children’s Alliance; and many others from Palestine and Israel, including work by Israeli Jews.

The Olympia‐Rafah Solidarity Mural is a community building memorial honoring all who have lost their lives in struggle and all who are resisting oppression. The mural was inspired by the killing of Rachel Corrie, a resident of Olympia who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer while defending the home of a Palestinian pharmacist and his family.

The mural tells a tale of two cities linked through tragedy, Olympia WA and Rafah, Palestine. It is the tale of people working together for a better world. The mural uses technology and advancements in printing processes to include artists from Palestine who are forbidden to travel.

P.S. HERE IS A PDF FILE WITH MORE INFO INLCUDING DATES OF UPCOMING INTERESTING EVENTS : The_Mural_Speaks__2010.pdf