Over 65 hands and hearts from diverse backgrounds in Guelph and surrounding areas came together to create this digital mural, while building community across difference and distance. Through an eight week online community-engaged arts program, under the visionary leadership of social artist Melanie Schambach, participants listened to stories about how community members were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, co-created a vision for a large-scale digital mural, played with new art-mediums, and learned some new skills while working with local artists. The virus brought the world to a halt in a way that we never imagined possible.
This time has prompted us all to think deeply about the world we want to live in, and The Mural Project created a forum and community for participants to speak and act against injustice of all kinds, and create new visions for our shared future. The final digital mural was made by a remarkable community and now belongs to the community, and it is a poignant expression of the times, embedding themes of racial justice, food security, mental health stigma, police brutality, the pandemic, social action, disability advocacy, and love.