Make Art, Not War

Comments (0) By Carlos Suarez De Jesus Thursday, Nov 2 2006

More About

Vietnamese artist Huong knows about the grim realities of war. She was forced to flee her ravaged homeland in 1975 and has since devoted herself to recovering from memories of her war-scarred youth by painting images of peace. During the past ten years, Huong has been working on a 300-foot mural, determined to convey that the horrors she experienced in the past are still gripping much of the world today.

“War is still raging across the world,” Huong laments. “In the Middle East, Africa, Iraq, South America -- this is not an isolated problem anymore and affects us all profoundly. I am working with a group of people concerned about its effect and who are pushing for peace to stop this insanity.” Today from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Huong will unveil her Peace Mural at the Art Palace, where local artists, actors, musicians, and dancers will join in a call for an end to war, and members of the public are invited to add their peace messages to her monumental canvas. Sponsored by the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice, the event culminates with a Vote for Peace Rally. Register online at www.huong.org.
Sat., Nov. 4