We’re excited to share that the most comprehensive exhibit to date of dozens of the original Painting for Peace boards will be featured at the 2017 national Urban League convention July 27-29 at the convention center in downtown St. Louis thanks to Regions Bank.
Plywood boards which covered hundreds of storefronts following the unrest in November 2014 along the streets of Ferguson, Dellwood and St. Louis city were transformed into colorful and inspiring paintings by hundreds of artists and volunteers. This exhibit is one of a kind, free and open to the public at 701 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, 63101 from 10a.m. - 4p.m. on Thursday July 27 until Saturday July 29.
For three days only and on display at the convention center in downtown St. Louis, these massive paintings will create an overwhelming testimony to the healing power of art and will be seen up close by thousands of people coming in from across the U.S. to the convention. You, too, can see these larger than life murals at no charge along the first floor hallway which runs from the main entrance on Washington Ave to 701 Convention Plaza.
The exhibit will take place during the Urban League convention themed “Save Our Cities” and is made possible through the efforts of Regions Bank as well as the author of the award-winning children’s book Painting for Peace in Ferguson, Carol Swartout Klein.
“The artists, from children to grandparents, black and white, from the community and even other cities all helped to transform a landscape of fear and pain into one of hope and healing,” said Carol Swartout Klein, author. “It was their story I set out to share in Painting for Peace in Ferguson, and I hope that those attending the Urban League conference or who stop by the convention center and see the artwork will find their own inspiration, reflect on where we’ve been and where we are going as a community and as a society.”