Meridian Partners with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to Implement Mural Program in Democratic Republic of Congo
Community Engagement through the Arts is being implemented by Meridian’s Center for Cultural Diplomacy. American artist based in Kentucky, Christine Kuhn, is the first of four muralist to be sent abroad for one month to hold workshops that reach a new community sector each week, culminating in the implementation of a joint, collaborative mural. Ms. Kuhn, who traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in November 2014, believes that the arts play an integral role in orchestrating community development and constructing social dialogue. She, along with Culture + and the Bukavu Youth Action Center, created two public murals and one large-scale painting in Kinshasa and Bukavu. Ancillary activities also took place in Matadi, DRC.
The mural themes highlighted women’s empowerment, gender-based violence, the future of the Congo, and more. Sites included the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Kinshasa, Athénée d’Ibanda in Bukavu, and the Panzi Foundation in Bukavu. Ms. Kuhn facilitate workshops, master classes, public speaking opportunities, and other community engagement activities. Culture + and Bukavu Youth Action Center selected local artists to assist Kuhn in painting the murals, and subsequent programming will ensure continued relationships between U.S. and international artists. Similar exchanges will reach Nicaragua, Honduras, and Colombia in 2015.
