About the Project

After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the severing of U.S.-Cuba ties two years later, the countries had no diplomatic relations until December 2014, when an initiative by President Obama led to the reopening of embassies in Washington and Havana.

​

As relations thaw between the US and Cuba, Mural Arts Philadelphia proposed a service learning opportunity that would allow us to take two current students, three recent high school graduates (and Mural Arts Alumni) and myself to Cardenas, Cuba, where we collaborated on a new mural designed by a team of Cuban artists. The mural will adorn the iconic Cine Cárdenas and will explore the concept of the arts as a bridge between cultures.

​

In February of 2017 five students traveled with us from Philadelphia to Cuba, jumpstarting the creative process for a 6,000-square-foot mural that will symbolize developing US–Cuba relations. Half of the large mural will be painted on parachute cloth in Philadelphia, and half in Cardenas. On our first trip, I worked with a group of ten artist from the Association of Cuban Artisans and Artists and trained them in mural making techniques as well as installation planning and procedures. The students and I worked with Cardenas artists to create this smaller mural titled "Seed of Eternal Friendship."

​