Wall art scheme honoured for community benefits
Published on: 14-Jun-2007
An inner-city wall art scheme has been recognised as having transformative powers in helping change the attitudes of local community members.Harold Beaulieu, an art instructor form Vallejo in California, has used wall art to transform scenes at local courthouses, as well as well-known crime hotspots, reports the Vallejo Times Herald.
In recognition of his work, a special ceremony was held by officials from the Superior Court of Contra Costa County to honour Mr Beaulieu.
At the ceremony, Judge Barry Goode commented that Mr Beaulieu's courthouse wall art had "changed the demeanour and attitudes of people waiting in the court".
At the ceremony, Mr Beaulieu said: "The award means a lot, but the real value is the recognition by the court of the value of the arts beyond the aesthetic. Those behind the award have seen the power of the arts to change the way people feel and think and behave."
More than 500 people also participated in another of Mr Beaulieu's pioneering wall art schemes, which sought to use individuals' artistic expressions to turn a wall in one of California's most run-down areas into a 'Healing Wall'.
Take a look at this wonderful wall art
