Multicultural Murals

Today people have more opportunities to connect with one another than ever before. The internet and smart devices let us engage with people around the globe through instant messages, social media, video chats, and more. Artist Pat Perry celebrates this in his project Opening Lines. He partnered with students living 5,649 miles apart to paint a mural in Iraq (right) and Maine (top). “Each kid got to do their own idea floating around each of the figures,” says Perry.

Before painting, the American and Iraqi students video chatted to learn about each other’s cultures, says Kate Gerwig. She’s an art teacher at Biddeford Intermediate School in Maine. Working on this project, Gerwig’s students realized that “people are more similar than we think, and the differences are smaller.”