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Mural of Reconciliation |
Photo: the mural and Dianne Roe, the artist
by Christyann Ranck Maxfield
Dianne Roe's smile lights up the world. A Christian with friends faithful to Judaism and Islam, Roe is a full time peacemaker and artist who brings together people of different cultures. The latest work took her away from the hometown of Corning, New York and brought her to Ibillin, Israel. Together We Are Stronger than the Storm is her mural, thirty feet long and thirty feet high, painted on the walls of Mar Elias College. "I was in Ibillin painting on the mural when Rachel Corrie was killed," Roe told a church audience in April, 2003. During her stay in Israel, many atrocities were committed against both Jews and Muslims. "Seventeen structures were demolished in the Beqaa Valley at the end of February," Roe recalls. 'On the Sunday those demolitions were happening, we had workers trying to fix a well. Settlers came and handcuffed them. All these things were happening when a Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) delegation was visiting. The 'storm' [mural] is all of these things." The Star of David frames the center with a mosque. Martyrs Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Rachel Corrie, and Muslims and Jews hold hands around a cross and a flickering candle with flame protected by a human hand. Roe's design fans out from the center to create a mandala depicting Jewish and Palestinian families. The mural recalls biblical hospitality with a serving hand pouring water from a clay pitcher over the dusty foot of a guest. Reconciled biblical brothers Esau and Jacob are shown embracing. Abraham and Mohammed stand separated by stormy clouds with a distant hint of blue sky and sunshine. Peacemakers from both sides are depicted meeting on a bridge and shaking hands.
A painted rainbow arches above with words from the prophet Isaiah: "It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, who brings princes to naught." (Isaiah 40:22-23) Candles burn in a menorah framing the bottom of the mural. The building structure itself is symbolic as staircases descend from the left and the right where persons can descend and meet in the middle.
Roe's smile reflects 'the light within' as she goes about her work with Christian Peacemaker Teams in the Holy Land, working the power of nonviolence.
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Tel: (773) 277-0253
Website: www.cpt.org
Dianne Roe's smile lights up the world. A Christian with friends faithful to Judaism and Islam, Roe is a full time peacemaker and artist who brings together people of different cultures. The latest work took her away from the hometown of Corning, New York and brought her to Ibillin, Israel. Together We Are Stronger than the Storm is her mural, thirty feet long and thirty feet high, painted on the walls of Mar Elias College. "I was in Ibillin painting on the mural when Rachel Corrie was killed," Roe told a church audience in April, 2003. During her stay in Israel, many atrocities were committed against both Jews and Muslims. "Seventeen structures were demolished in the Beqaa Valley at the end of February," Roe recalls. 'On the Sunday those demolitions were happening, we had workers trying to fix a well. Settlers came and handcuffed them. All these things were happening when a Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) delegation was visiting. The 'storm' [mural] is all of these things." The Star of David frames the center with a mosque. Martyrs Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Rachel Corrie, and Muslims and Jews hold hands around a cross and a flickering candle with flame protected by a human hand. Roe's design fans out from the center to create a mandala depicting Jewish and Palestinian families. The mural recalls biblical hospitality with a serving hand pouring water from a clay pitcher over the dusty foot of a guest. Reconciled biblical brothers Esau and Jacob are shown embracing. Abraham and Mohammed stand separated by stormy clouds with a distant hint of blue sky and sunshine. Peacemakers from both sides are depicted meeting on a bridge and shaking hands.
A painted rainbow arches above with words from the prophet Isaiah: "It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, who brings princes to naught." (Isaiah 40:22-23) Candles burn in a menorah framing the bottom of the mural. The building structure itself is symbolic as staircases descend from the left and the right where persons can descend and meet in the middle.
Roe's smile reflects 'the light within' as she goes about her work with Christian Peacemaker Teams in the Holy Land, working the power of nonviolence.
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Tel: (773) 277-0253
Website: www.cpt.org
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