Art Miles Mural Project in Seaside, Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach

SEASIDE, FL. -- As Joanne Tawfilis stood watching orphans in Bosnia squabble, laugh and cry while painting their visions of ?Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow? onto a bullet-ridden bed sheet, the idea for the Art Miles Mural Project began to form in her mind.

?It was the process (of painting) that was so unbelievable and moving and made me see how if children suffering from such trauma and huge losses could work together, then certainly adults could learn from this,? Tawfilis said.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization agreed with her vision and made the Art Miles Mural Project an official project of the UNESCO Decade of the Culture of Peace, Tawfilis and her husband, Fouad, created 12 mural themes (each theme equals one mile of murals) and designated the year 2010 for the unveiling at the site of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. All murals that have been painted around the world will be shipped and pieced together to form an amazing kaleidoscope of children?s visions for a better world.

To spur excitement for the 2010 event, the SEASIDE INSTITUTE and the 30A CREATIVE ALLIANCE are celebrating the Art Miles Mural Project from Feb. 28 through March 10. The beach communities of Seaside, WaterColor, WaterSound West Beach, Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach will host mural exhibits, community mural paintings, concerts, film screenings, yoga classes, and presentations by Tawfilis and Peace Paint Ambassadors.

Chloe Fugate, a Peace Paint Ambassador and Santa Rosa Beach resident, said she is proud to share her passion for the Art Miles project with her local community.

?It is bringing the community together,? she said. ?It?s bringing the rest of the world to our part of the world.?

?Seeing a grassroots project with no funding and an all-volunteer staff facilitate more than 4,000 murals completed and more than 500,000 people painting is an indication that what we do has a true meaning,? Tawfilis added. ?It reinforces our original belief in humanity - that the good in each of us is the common thread that will ensure we as a species will survive.?

?I just hope people realize the scope of work and look at each mural as a story and a moment in time,? Robi Fugate, peace paint coordinator for the Art Miles project, said.

To kick off the 30A CREATIVE ALLIANCE event, the Seaside Neighborhood School is sponsoring a Mural Marathon on Feb. 28 where all 2,800 participants of the Seaside Half Marathon and 5K will be invited to paint a Sports-themed mural. This mural, along with murals painted by students at Butler Elementary School and the Seaside Neighborhood School, will be displayed along Scenic Highway 30-A on March 1. Approximately 20 murals will be on display during the event.

On March 1, after the Seaside Half Marathon and 5K race, WaterColor will
host an afternoon outdoor event in Cerulean Park where their murals will be
displayed.

On March 6, the communities of Seaside and Alys Beach will celebrate Art Miles from sun-up to sundown. Beginning at 8 a.m., Johannes Linstead, one of the world?s top guitarists and a certified Kundalini Yoga instructor, will host a community yoga class on the beach in Seaside. From 5-8 p.m. murals and a replica of the Art Miles pyramid display will be exhibited throughout Seaside as part of the First Friday Art Walk festivities. Alys Beach will exhibit Art Miles murals in the courtyard of the Fonville Press as part of its Apres Beach event. From 8-10 p.m. Amavida Coffee in Seaside will host a screening of the film, ?Black Gold.?

On March 7, Seaside offers a community yoga class with Linstead on the beach at 8 a.m., a tasting of an Art Miles fair trade coffee blend at Amavida Coffee in Seaside throughout the day and a Fairy Tale mural painting in Ruskin Place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Art Miles Concert: World Music begins at 2 p.m. in the Seaside amphitheater. Joanne and Fouad Tawfilis will share their story and renowned classical guitarist Johannes Linstead, the Seaside Neighborhood School Band and 30A Radio will have everyone dancing. Seaside will exhibit over 40 murals throughout the town.

On March 8, Linstead conducts Kundalini yoga on the beach in Seaside at 8 a.m. and then hosts an intimate, acoustic concert at Amavida Coffee in Seaside from 1-4 p.m. From 6-9 p.m. Rosemary Beach will screen two powerful films, ?War Dance? and ?The Invisible Children? on the Western Green. Several Peace Paint Ambassadors, who will also share their personal experiences with the Art Miles Mural Project, will introduce these films. Rosemary Beach will also exhibit over two dozen murals along the green in
the Town Center throughout the entire Art Miles celebration.

On March 9, Linstead will host community yoga on the beach in Seaside at 8 a.m.

On March 10, the Art Miles Community Celebration will be held in Alys Beach from 5-8 p.m at Fonville Press. Everyone will be invited to join 12 Peace Paint Ambassadors in painting murals for peace and a slide show of murals painted by children around the world will be shown. Light refreshments will be served.

?What they (the children) have created is a visual documentation of history, but more importantly, an introspective look at their world,? Tawfilis explained. ?They reached out to others around the world. It is also our hope that right there in the Middle East where violence has become a way of life, that some of that spirituality will help bring peace.