Unity in Diversity
Mural in progress
Location: Taj of India (34 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA)
Featured to the left: mural design detail
Public Art: “Unity in Diversity” Mural
Collaborative Creation Across the Globe
A new work of public art has begun to take shape in downtown Harrisonburg, VA! This large-scale mural, installed by local painters, will employ vibrant colors and thoughtful composition to express Unity in Diversity – all designed from the hearts of passionate artists living thousands of miles away.
About the Artists
Harrisonburg artist David Draime, owner of Draime Fine Art Studio School, has been – along with friend and co-teacher, San Diego-based artist Neda Towfiq – teaching online art classes for several years to a group of young artists living in Iran. The classes are part of a broader program designed to serve students barred by their government from attending any college or university within Iran. For these particular students, higher education is a crime, punishable by arrest, beatings, confiscation of books and electronic devices and, in some cases, imprisonment or worse. They are Bahá’ís, members of the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, who have faced decades of persecution.
In August 2024, David was invited by some Bahá’í facilitators in Iran to teach these young artists how to design a mural, though it was clear even non-religious artwork by this group could never be painted in Iran. From that invitation – and in light of the harsh reality that these student artists face – an idea was born: what if these marginalized art students in Iran designed a mural that could then be brought to life in Harrisonburg? Although their artistic vision may be suppressed in Iran, the hope is that it will find a welcoming home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Featured to the right: mural design detail
Want to Help?
Thanks to seed money from The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County’s Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts, this momentous undertaking is now underway. However, to complete this international mural, we could really use your help covering some of the many expenses involved in a project of this magnitude.
Please consider making a donation by check (made payable to Arts Council of the Valley) or at the link below; in the Comments box of the donation form (or memo line, if donating by check), please note “Unity Mural 2025.”
Follow Along!
Local artists are hard at work building out this incredible mural; check out some October progress photos below (and come see the full scope of the ever-evolving work in person as soon as you can)! As this project unfolds over the coming months, check back often for updates on this page, on ACV social media, and within ACV’s monthly e-newsletter.
