Subject: Mural unveiling event at UMASS
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst, we would like to extend an
invitation to attend a rare political event. An historic mural from
Belfast, Northern Ireland/the north of Ireland will be unveiled on
Monday, April 28, 2008 at 6 p.m. in Campus Center Room 163C at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The mural, "Painting from the Same Palette," was recently painted by
two artists whose communities were previously at war: Danny Devenny,
former Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, and Mark Ervine, son of
David Ervine, former Progressive Unionist Party leader and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) member.
Both artists intend to participate in the April 28 event via webcast. U.S.
Congressman Richard Neal will speak as part of the program and we
expect other local elected officials to attend.
The completion of this mural comes on the heels of the historic
powersharing in government that began in May 2007 after nine years of
struggle to implement the Good Friday Agreement. It is in this climate
of dramatic and historic change that Danny Devenny and Mark Ervine
painted their first joint mural in August 2007 in Belfast, and it was
unveiled by political leadership from both communities. "Painting
from the Same Palette" is their second joint mural, and we are honored to be able to unveil it at UMass.
The April 28 unveiling at UMass provides us with the opportunity to
celebrate and support their joint efforts during this time of transition into peace.
We hope the unveiling will serve as a springboard for a larger UMass
event in the fall, in which we can bring the two muralists to UMass
for community-based projects and panel discussions on conflict
transformation in the north of Ireland/Northern Ireland.
This event is sponsored by the UMass Amherst College of Social and
Behavioral Sciences and the UMass Amherst Graduate School, along with
the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution, Department
of Legal Studies, the Psychology of Peace and Violence Concentration,
Department of Psychology, the Electronic Enterprise Institute, and the
Social Justice Mediation Institute.
A poster for the event is attached. The unveiling is free and open to
the public (refreshments will be provided). Please RSVP to Katya
wish to attend. Please also share this information with others who may be interested in attending.
We look forward to seeing you on April 28!
Leah Wing, Director of Dispute Resolution, National Center for
Technology and Dispute Resolution, UMass Department of Legal Studies
Linda Tropp, Director of the Psychology of Peace and Violence
Concentration, UMass Department of Psychology
