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By Christein Aromando
FLEISCHMANNS — The rain did not dampen the spirits of attendees who came out to celebrate the unveiling of the truly inspirational Wall of Peace in Fleischmanns on Saturday, May 24th. The beautiful community-created installation is twenty feet long and consists of five panels divided into individual mosaic squares with PEACE written in the center in blue tiles.
The project incorporated an idea Heidi Stonier originally called ‘Break a Plate to Dedicate’ that she had been hoping to realize ever since she and husband, Randy Leer, first formed their non-profit community arts organization, the Arts Inn Collective. What began as a vision to have people bring something of personal meaning, like a grandmother’s teacup, to break and reform as a mosaic, took on new momentum in the spring of 2024 when the Arts Inn held a Woman’s Day of Peace event. Artist Barbara Mellon Kolb arrived with a mosaic sculpture of her husband, and Stonier, along with local artists Lesley A. Powell and Amy Masters, got excited about bringing people from all sides of Fleischmanns’ diverse community together to make art.
The Arts Inn wrote and received grants from the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation and The Pasternak Family Foundation and commissioned Masters, Powell and Mellon Kolb to design and supervise the creation of the community mosaic, which by popular demand was christened: The Wall of Peace.
Last August, the group invited the community to come together for a day of artmaking. People of all faiths and backgrounds were encouraged to bring personal items to add to the mosaic. The response was amazing and grown-ups and kids alike showed up with everything from scrabble tiles to a calculator to river stones. Even the town’s mayor, Samuel Gil, participated and contributed a miniature stone tortilla maker.
The wall then spent the winter in artists Lesley and Alan Powell's garage in Fleischmanns where it was cleaned by many loving hands, given several protective coatings by Arts Inn Collective's Randy Leer and mounted with the help of local Fleischmanns resident, William Espino.
“The best thing about the Wall of Peace is that it brings people of all ages and backgrounds together in a joyful act of creativity. The Wall shows that we are not just impotent bystanders in a world of calamity, we can make something beautiful out of something that is broken,” says Stonier. “It is a tribute to our different histories and our shared desire to find common ground.”
The Wall of Peace is located on Bridge Street in Fleischmanns and is a permanent reminder of the good that transpires when community and creativity come together. A ledger will remain by the wall in a weatherproof box for visitors who wish to add their dedication and stories to the wall. Information about the Wall of Peace and other upcoming events can be found at artsinncollective.org.
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