Eliot Arts Magnet Academy Unveils New Mural at Back To School Night That Addresses Human Rights Issues

[Updated September 9, 2016 ]   A colorful and expansive 450 square foot mural that serves as a reminder about the value of education now lives on the Eliot Arts Magnet Academy campus.

The mural is a collaborative effort between the Pasadena Unified school and a nation-wide initiative called “Paint the Change” that seeks to use street art and murals to raise consciousness and awareness of growing human rights issues stemming in parts of the world where access to education is denied to various groups as a result of prejudice, fanaticism, intolerance.

“This mural symbolizes our focus at Eliot Arts: academic achievement through dynamic arts instruction and expression,” explained Eliot Arts Principal Lori Touloumian.

The mural is intended to paint the picture of the injustice that is ongoing in Iran where peaceful worshippers of the Baha’i Faith say they are denied access to higher education solely as a result of the religion they practice, according to a press release.

“It’s really easy for us to take our education for granted. I think if we take a step back and look at it from a worldwide perspective we will see that there are people that are being systematically deprived of an education,” explained Pasadena Paint the Change representative and Baha’i community member Nader Ho.

The opportunity for this collaboration was presented to Eliot Arts by school board member Scott Phelps in the Fall of 2015. Phelps is a strong supporter of Eliot Arts’ transformation into a Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School, according to Touloumian.

The mural itself was painted by seven students and Eliot Arts dance instructor and muralist Amber Plummer.

Depicted is the Earth encompassed in a pair of hands with a large tree in the center surrounded by silhouettes of Eliot Arts’ students engaged in reading with a quote by Nelson Mandela under the mural, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

The mural is a 450 square feet and located on the landing of a staircase at the northwest corner of the school.

“This is the first “Paint the Change” mural in PUSD,” said Touloumian about the murals that have been done worldwide as far as South Africa and Brazil.

Ho plans on making a splash among community members and prospective venues that would be interested in providing a venue for the Paint the Change initiative to put up murals in the Pasadena area. There are approximately 80 Baha’i members living in Pasadena, according to Ho.

“Tonight is the first step in hopefully spreading the word and getting people interested in putting up more murals in the area. We want to collaborate and hopefully we can do a few more,” said Ho who mentioned plans of putting together a photo gallery and synopsis of the unveiling of the mural and sending it to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States for support.

“I hope this mural is a reminder for us to value what we have here in Pasadena,” said Ho.

For more information about Paint the Change initiative, visit http://www.notacrime.me.