Art Can Become Very Personal and Healing

A wall facing the fallen federal building in Oklahoma City - America's first public experience with massive terrorism - became the focus of a temporary tape art mural dedicated to the victims and those helping to find victims and survivors. That project began just four days after the bombing and they were still searching for survivors.

clipped from www.tapeart.com The following text was written in 1995 to describe our experiences at Oklahoma City, amidst the aftermath of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building on 19th April. We were half-way through our tour of 40 states when we arrived in Oklahoma. Little did we know that our experiences there were about to redefine Tape Art as a healing tool and demonstrate that public artists can play a pivotal role in times of crisis. We also described our idea for a Hope mural which we proposed to make for the rescue workers. The mural attracted people. It seemed to provide a kind of catalyst for discussion. The Hope mural, unlike most all of our murals which are removed within a day, is still up in the now quiet Myriad conference center. To rescue workers, the angelic mural on the wall at the Myriad Convention Center provided comfort in the days following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.