It was a long time coming! I first started writing to places in Israel about six months ago. I wrote to around 30 NGOs, schools, churches, universities, charities, and whatever else I could find online. Only one place said yes, and in the end they backed out. In the meantime, I contacted an online friend at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. She said she would work her connections to find more locations.
Polina knew how to work her connections.
My first "Polina contact" was Fareed Mahameed, a very connected and extremely friendly person. He said that I should first paint a mural in the city where he grew up, Um-El-Fahem (which means Mother of Charcoal). His parents still live there and I was royally welcomed into the home of Saleh and Luda. I'm not sure how many people would be willing to host a friend of their son that he only knew over the Internet. I mean, I met his parents face-to-face before I met Fareed! But, it didn't take long to become part of a wonderful family. It certainly made my experience so much better and a lot more delicious.
The location of mural 66 was at a local school atop a hill in Um-El-Fahem. Administration, staff, and students at Al Hekma School were thrilled to have an American artist in their midst. It was harder to draw my sketch on the wall than usual because so many students wanted to practice their English with me. It was delightful and distracting in the best of ways.
As usual, I brainstormed my design with administration and came with an idea that was readily and happily approved. In the very center of the design is an Arabic word that means "wisdom". Everyone was pleased with how well I wrote in Arabic. The writing is easy for an artist. The reading is impossible for me. But, everyone in the school could read what I wrote.
I had a large variety of young people paint with me. When the girls painted, they focused on the work and made great progress. When the boys painted, it was absolute joyful chaos. It was so loud that I could hardly hear anyone who wanted to speak to me. Yes, chaos. After two days of "anyone who wanted to paint" participation, you can guess who I had join in on the touch up work for the mural. It was only girls, all delightful, almost all wearing their hijabs.
In the background, not as easily read, are five huge letters that spell "H E K M A". It's the English pronunciation of the word "wisdom". The letters are huge, but most people didn't notice it when they looked at the mural in progress. It's one of my hidden secrets. The painters who helped create the mural with me were able to share that information with their friends.
From left to right, the mural displays Computer Technology, a teacher surrounded by words that hopefully are taught and enacted by the students, part of the school logo, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology. Looking closer, the teacher holds a piece of chalk. I was informed when the mural was nearly completed that chalk is so outdated. I guess the muralist is too. The concepts that the teacher hopes to instill are initiative, love, loyalty, leniency, respect, honesty, compassion, responsibility, and persistence. There are several math problems on the paper that the student holds. If you do the math, each answer is 66 since this was mural 66 of my collection.
Of course, I hid the actual number 66 in the mural. I've been waiting for this mural for a while because I had a plan for the number a long time ago. I'm especially pleased with how well it is hidden in plain sight . If you can't find it, you'll have to look at the photo section on the Mural Man website for this project.
The week in Um-El-Fahem went just incredibly too quickly. But, I have five or six mural locations awaiting me. The second one, in Jerusalem, is another "Polina connection". It's guaranteed to be just as amazing -- and I might just finally meet her face-to-face.