Tag: Dialogues Murals

Visualizing Peace: A Work in Progress

Visualizing Peace: A Work in Progress Mural by BZTAT and Friends
“Visualizing Peace: A Work in Progress” Mural by BZTAT and Friends

Our world is full of images that bombard us with visualizations of violence, chaos and war. They come at us with a ferocity that cannot be ignored, demanding our attention and overwhelming our senses. Envisioning peace, however, is nuanced and subtle. Visualizations of peace do not clamor for our attention, rather, they require contemplation and deep reflection to be understood.

The paradoxical relationship between peace and conflict has intrigued me for years. When Molly Merryman, Ph.D., associate professor at Kent State University’s School of Peace and Conflict Studies (SPCS), invited me to collaborate on a project exploring this very topic, I jumped at the opportunity. I proposed a multi-tiered collaboration, inviting a group of high school students who regularly visited my studio through a grant from Art Possible Ohio, to join with Masters level students at SPCS, in creating a mural.

These high school students are far from ordinary. Confronted with a range of learning and behavioral challenges, they have faced life experiences many others have not—marked by trauma and conflict. For them, navigating peaceful conflict resolution is a daily effort, one that has made them thoughtful, resilient, and insightful. They wrestle with profound questions and offer perspectives that are both powerful and deeply personal. The SPCS students shared a similar depth of experience. Coming from African countries shaped by war, political unrest, and trauma, they, too, understood conflict intimately. Yet through this project, all the students came together as equals—united by a shared pursuit of peace and a collective vision brought to life through the mural.

Beginning in October 2024, we studied how artists throughout history have depicted peace and conflict. We explored how peace can be visually elevated amid chaos, using color, light, and texture to create contrast and subtlety. We drew, painted, told stories, and learned from one another. By the end of April 2025, the mural was complete.

Leading this group journey has challenged and inspired me. At times, the idea of peace felt naive, considering the turbulent changes facing our country as we endeavored through this process. This project has reaffirmed the importance of peacebuilding, however, showing that, through creativity and collaboration, peace is both possible and powerful, as a perpetual work in progress.

 

Special notes of interest:

Dove – Pays homage to Picasso’s “Dove of Peace” which was chosen as the emblem for the First International Peace Conference in Paris in 1949, and also, in contrast, to the artist’s moving anti-war painting, “Guernica”. The dove is both luminous and somewhat transparent, arising over the words “Chaos” and “Peace.”

Boat– Represents the collaborative journey of students, working to overcome obstacles and challenges in the pursuit of peace.

“4 dead in Ohio”– Commemorates the May 4, 1970 tragedy that inspired the legacy of the KSU School of Peace and Conflict Studies, reflecting on the iconic image of the tragedy and the musical lyrics by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Student reading a book – Represents the meeting of students from different backgrounds learning together, showing that peace education is an important, ongoing process.

Vines, leaves and grass – Illustrates how growth continues despite destructive forces in the world, overcoming tragedy and restoring peace.
Houses and buildings in background – Represents community and safe places to call home.

Sun and sky – Represents the dawn of a new day.
Patterned border – Pays homage to two SPCS students from African countries, with patterns representing hope.

Cat – Pays homage to Tibs the Studio cat, and also to all of the pets who bring us peace.

See media about the mural on my press page.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

When I Grow Up… A Collaborative Mural for Children

Collaborative Mural for Children by BZTAT
“When I Grow Up…” mural by BZTAT and friends

Last weekend I participated in the annual SmARTsplash event at the Canton Cultural Center for the Arts. For the past couple of years, I have been hired by ArtsinStark to create a “Dialogues” mural with children at the event. It is an activity that I enjoy, because children being creative is so fun!

The entire event offers a number of creative activities for children and also showcases performances and artistic creations from various groups in Stark County. My mural is one of those activities.

I wanted to do something that captured the essence of childhood aspiration, so I used my mural to ask the age old question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” I painted the background and the child images beforehand. At the event, I and a volunteer helper asked children that stopped by to draw a picture of what they wanted to do when they grew up.

I emphasized to my volunteer helper that I wanted to say, “What do you want to do…” instead of “What do you want to be…”. It is a slight distinction, but an important one. I wanted them to focus on what they wanted to do, because they have no real choice about what they will be.

After they drew their pictures, I glued them into the background of the mural, and I put a wash of color over them. As you look at the mural you are drawn into looking at all of the children’s aspirations.

As I glued the images in, I listened to the interactions between the children and the adults with them as they drew under my volunteer’s guidance. There was an awkwardness, as parents tried to explain the task to their youngsters. Their explanations often fell to traditional gender roles, girls being asked, “Do you want to be a teacher or a nurse or a ballerina?” and boys being asked, “Do you want to be a policeman or fireman or a doctor?” I say awkwardness, because they would quickly throw in some less gender specific roles after realizing what they had done.

Let’s face it, it is not easy to change our traditional ways, especially when it comes to raising children. We tend to fall back on what our parents taught us, even though intellectually, we have strong opinions different than our parents’ ideas.

I was encouraged, though, because the children, male and female, recognized that they had options that were beyond what was available when I was growing up. Two girls (apparently future entrepreneurial partners) drew pictures that said, “I want to make a bakery!” and an equal balance of males and females drew pictures of themselves as scientists. There were many children who wanted to be artists, actors, singers and sports heroes. Local universities might want to take note of how many children wanted to be veterinarians. And a number of boys said that they wanted to be “dads,” recognizing that family roles were of great value.

The purpose of a “Dialogues” mural is twofold. First, the goal is to create a dialog between the artist and the community as the artwork is created. Second, the dialog is continued as the mural is viewed by others. The first part is now complete. The second part is about to begin. The mural will be displayed in my gallery at Second April Galerie and Studios at the next Canton First Friday. After that, it will travel to different schools in the community and other locations for viewing.

I hope you get a chance to join the dialog.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Contact BZTAT about having a Dialogues mural created for your event!

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Blogpaws West: Pets. Pet Lovers. Pet Art. What More Could You Want?

BlogPaws West Mural
BZTAT with her "Hand to Hand, Paw to Paw" Mural BlogPaws West 2010

When you have an experience as great as BlogPaws West 2010, it is impossible to put into words. I will say a few, then let the pictures tell the story.

I arrived a day early to Denver so I could get things prepared for painting the mural. I had mailed my supplies to the hotel in advance, however, they ended up arriving 3 days late! Luckily, there was a wonderful art supply store nearby. I ended up purchasing all new materials.

The mural image consisted of a dog and cat superimposed on a large heart for the background. Since the theme was about celebrating the worldwide community of pet lovers, it seemed an appropriate image.

The dog was a portrait of Lorenza,  who was recently rescued and adopted in Canton, OH. The cat was a portrait of Mickey, whose human (a rescue volunteer) suddenly died recently, leaving her beloved pet without a home.

At the start of the conference, Mickey had no home. Conference attendees took up the charge for his plight, tweeting and retweeting for support.

When I arrived back home to Canton, I learned that Mickey had been adopted to a new loving family!

Creating the mural while interacting with some of the most interesting and inspiring people on earth was a treasure for me. I was deeply moved by the comments people wrote for the mural as well as the stories they shared during the process.

I thank Tom, Yvonne and Caroline, the BlogPaws founders, for allowing me to use their event as my studio for 3 wonderful days.

And I thank all the people who shared and contributed to the mural.

I will soon be receiving professional photographs of the mural, which I will share in this space. In the meantime, enjoy the slide show below to get a real taste of what BlogPaws was all about.

Would you like BZTAT to create a “Dialogues Mural” at your event? Read more here.