It puzzled a lot of people when I told them I was painting a mural in Taybeh. It appears there must be two towns with the same name and nobody had heard of the town I was going to for Mural 68. Taybeh, my Taybeh, is located around 13 miles north of Jerusalem. It's the only Christian town in all of Palestine. And, as I learned very shortly after arrival, Palestine includes not just the West Bank and Gaza but all of what some people call Israel. It was a little shocking to people when I told them I'd never heard of that before.
My Taybeh is a town of around 12,500 people. It's a small village atop a hill, and high enough to get colder than I had experienced in my first two murals in the Holy Land. It may be a little town, but it has some very big claims to fame. It's actually mentioned in the Bible. Under the name Opher, a Canaanite city, it was part of the territory allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. Then, when it was called Ephriam, it was the village where Jesus and his disciples retreated to after raising Lazarus from the dead and just be the crucifixion. For me, it was amazing to walk in the footsteps of so much history.
The Latin Patriarchate School of Taybeh is run by the Catholic Church. Although everyone in Taybeh is a Christian, students from neighboring communities also attend this school. The make-up of the student body is 1/3 Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, 2/3 Muslim, and 100% wonderful. They welcomed a stray American artist with open arms.
When I sat down to talk with the principal and a few other leaders in the school, they knew what they wanted for my background text that not everyone sees. The Arabic word "al hayat" translates as "the life". My illustrations would reflect life for the students at school. There would also be a large Arabic quote in the middle of the mural. It is a quote from the book of John, "I am come that you may have life." Additionally, there are other words that are encouraged for the students to follow including: Acceptance, Love, Belonging, Cleanliness, Faith, Respect, Creativity and Team. Additionally, I added parts of a student's life at this school such as: math, reading, geography, more math, science, sports, music, and art. And, in the center of the whole design, since it is so important in the life of the community, there is a giant olive tree. You don't even have to ask. You know that I have hidden the number 68 somewhere in the design.
This mural was not without some major difficulties to hurdle. First, the wall was too rough to successfully paint. I suggested we paint on a perfectly good wall inside the school. That was not to the liking of the powers that be. They wanted the mural in the playground area outside. So,Yossef, the school handyman and miracle worker, needed to plaster and paint to wall to prepare it. That was a two-day delay. Next, as usual, I went to the local hardware shop for paint. We got most of the colors I needed. I would have to mix a few. Unfortunately, the only paint available was oil-based paint. I swore after painting with oil-based paints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that I would never do it again. So much for my vows. You need turpentine, soap, and hot water to clean up this mess. In my brief experience in the Holy Land, I've not found a school with hot water. In homes, and my guest house on the Catholic mission, you have to turn on the hot water heater whenever you want a shower. So, on my first day with oil-based paint, I cleaned the brushes in my shower. I decided not to use my brushes any more. It was too hard on the brushes and I need them for four more murals. I went back to the hardware store for brushes. I planned to throw them away when I was done with them. I would no longer will try to clean them. The turpentine was so hard on my hands that after a few days the skin started to flake off. I had blue paint around my fingernails that lingered for days. So, like I said, there were a few hurdles.
Since this is mural 68 for me, it is safe to say that I have painted with a lot of students. Many students participated, but I had a core group of six students who kept coming back for more. And, I must say that they are some of the most independent painters I've ever worked with. I called them my "habibis" which translates as "my dear". Usually, at other schools, I'm questioned about every minute with statements like, "I'm finished. What do I do next?" That also happened in Taybeh, but not nearly so often. These kids could look at the mural, determine what needed to be fixed, and went at it without asking. It was so absolutely refreshing, and I fear they may have spoiled me forever.
There was a good amount of students who spoke English in Taybeh. It not only made my job easier, but it made it much more fun. They were kind of surprised to actually have an American in their midst, giving them an opportunity to practice their English. From what I gathered, not so many Americans ever come to Taybeh. They were just as surprised to learn that I was painting for free. (And, yes, they all want to know how much money I was making for the mural.) The fact that I volunteered to come because I wanted to do something positive for people who've had a horrible year was not a concept anyone expected to hear. At least, not until they meet the Mural Man.