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News

Paintings send a message of peace

Traveling art series promotes cultural awareness at its two-week UH stop before heading to other venues

by MAYRA CRUZ
The Daily Cougar

A series of volunteer-made paintings emphasizing peace are on display in the University Center to counter stereotypes about minorities.

Paintings for Peace, a traveling series of murals that has been on display in the Cougar Den since March 26, explores the nature of peace, program founder Imrama Malik said.

"Basically, the whole purpose of this was that we wanted just regular, normal everyday people to be involved in something that was bigger than an individual person," Malik said.

The exhibit visited Houston City Hall and the Pakistani Consulate before arriving at UH. The display will leave Thursday.

Malik, a physician at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, founded Paintings for Peace to counter negative stereotypes of minorities, particularly Muslims, by inviting members of different ethnic and religious groups to participate.

The overarching theme of the series, Malik said, is unity and peaceful coexistence. 

Paintings for Peace was unveiled in August 2006 at Rice University and features individual works and collaborations from elementary to high school students, as well as works by adults.

After its UH visit, the exhibit will be shown at other local universities and then transported to other venues.

"What's next on the tour is looking at the Houston Public Library system and giving the exposure to the rest of the community through the libraries," Malik said.

Public libraries are instrumental in bringing exposure to the public, Malik said, as opposed to displaying the paintings in public schools where only students can view them.

"The general public can have exposure to it and not just students, but their parents, who will bring them to the library," Malik said.

Efforts on the next project for Paintings for Peace are under way, and Malik is already searching for participants for the October project.

The UH Metropolitan Volunteer Program is sponsoring the two-week display in order to promote cultural awareness, MVP Assistant Director Kamran Ahmed said.

"We heard about the message of these paintings and as a Muslim myself I felt the message was very important to be shared with the University," he said. "We like to promote different issues at the University. The issue of peace and religious tolerance is big right now."

For more information on involvement or donations, e-mail imranam@hotmail.com.

--Additional reporting by Kelsie Hahn.

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