Mural spotlights West Bank

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published August 24, 2008

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OLYMPIA – Work continued Saturday on the Olympia-Rafah Mural Project, a painting of a large olive tree that is slowly spreading across one side of the Labor Temple building in downtown Olympia.

Painting started two weeks ago, and Saturday, organizers started to paint the title of the project and contact information about how to get involved, project spokeswoman Ashley Harrison said.

A screening of a documentary about a town in the West Bank also was planned for Saturday night, Harrison said. A mural mission statement and a quote from peace worker Rachel Corrie's writings are expected to be added next week, mural artist Susan Greene said.

Greene of San Francisco, said the project is receiving some funding from the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, an organization named after a former student at The Evergreen State College who was killed in 2003 while trying to protect Palestinian homes from being bulldozed.

The 4,000-square-foot mural, at 119 Capitol Way, is expected to be finished next summer, Harrison said. By then, the tree could be adorned with 500 to 1,000 tile leaves, designed with messages or other artistic displays, she said.

One side of the building also will show a nightscape image of Olympia, and the other side, a dayscape image of Rafah, Harrison said.

Although there are local supporters of an Olympia-Rafah sister-city relationship, the Olympia City Council voted down the idea last year because of the divisive nature of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

Still, organizers of the project think the mural will shed some light on living conditions in Rafah.

"I feel it's a way to talk to Americans and give them an entry point into the story," Greene said.

Patrick Kwiecinski, half-owner of the Labor Temple building, said he supports the mural.

"I believe Rachel Corrie was demonstrating for peace in Rafah, and peace in the Middle East is on the wish list for most people," he said. "It seems like a worthy mural and theme."

Total funding for the project was not immediately clear.

Greene and Harrison said fundraising continues and that they want to raise at least $5,000 to bring an artist from Rafah to help complete the mural.

Rolf Boone is a reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or rboone@theolympian.com.