Welcome to the Peace Train Global Community Mosaic Project!
My name is Joshua Winer, and I'm a community artist and teacher.
"Diplomacy is about creating friendships among peoples."
Ambassador Glyn T. Davies
United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand
Between January and March of 2016, American community artist and teacher Joshua Winer traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to do overseas
what he's been doing for 20 years in the US— to bring communities together to make art in public spaces. Joshua's art builds new friendships and
creates public art that communicates a community’s culture, values and aspirations.
Over the course of 6 weeks, nearly 300 people — all volunteers — came together to create these murals. Joshua supplied the design and overall direction, guiding the hands-on fabrication done by a group of volunteers as varied as one can imagine— students, embassy employees, hospital patients, and even a US Boy Scout troop— all working together.
Through these projects we saw that Thais and Americans from different walks of life seize the chance to know one another— to work, laugh and create together. Embassy staff delighted in escaping the bubble, in working with their hands, leaving their screens and cables, in working to create something of permanence and beauty with their new Thai friends.
Please contact us for more information on how we can help build peace and healing through art in your community.
The Suksasongkror School is an orphanage school for Thai Hill tribe children who were abandoned, are exceptionally poor, and are at risk of drug abuse or human trafficking. Joshua Winer led the school community to create this mosaic mural for the school's Buddhist Shrine.
We worked together for three weeks as a community of 500 students and teachers. The many joyful days and productive evenings created strong bonding and cherished memories.
"Just like the lotus, we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate into the world.
(บ้ป๋วงามผุดโผล่พ้นใคลบตมผุดผาดสะอาดสม ซีปั้ ภลบแยบป็ญญูาพาซึ่นชมใฝ่รู๊ บั้วบานสื้ตํบแฉอู๊ มาภแมนความด)At Suan Prung Hospital, a public psychiatric hospital where Thais and indigent Americans receive treatment, Joshua created a symbolic mosaic mural of a lotus blossom growing from darkness and blossoming in sunlight that expresses hope and transcendence.
Our team was made up of patients (both adults and children) hospital staff, nurses, members of the US Consulate, and local volunteers. 200 community member in all worked collaboratively to create this mosaic during three weeks of happy days and evenings.
Dear Mr. Winer,
On behalf of myself, the staff and the patients at the Suan Prung Psychiatric Hospital we would like to express our deep gratitude for your extraordinary contribution to our institution and community. Your work ethic and generosity have inspired us all. This project will benefit many people over the following decades. Your ability to bring together people from every walk of life and nationality is a gift. Thank you for letting us witness something than transcends nationality and age. We wish you the best as you continue to make the work a better and more beautiful place.
Dr. Samai Sirithongthaworn, Hosptial Director, to Joshua Winer
March, 2016
As seen with the lotus mosaic at Suan Prung Psychiatric Hospital, the creation of mosaics has the ability to bring a community- no matter how different- together through shared appreciation of the artwork. It engages both international and domestic communities in order to emphasize our shared humanity, building trust and lasting friendships.
BY PHONE
USA +001 617 930 6010
ON THE WEB
https://www.joshuawiner.com
https://www.schoolmosaics.net
https://joshuawinermuralsandmosaics.tumblr.com
jwiner@joshuawiner.com
@joshuawinerstudios
Website by Colin Vanelli, 2016.
BY MAIL
144 Moody St. Building 18, Waltham MA 02453 USA
