The Time Is Always Right

Mixed Media Mural, 2018

Saltonstall Park, Watertown, MA.

Kingian Mural final.jpg

“The time is always right to do what is right.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A testament to Watertown’s commitment to apply Dr. King’s philosophy and methodology to present day conflicts, this community-wide mural engaged twelve town departments and organizations as well as over 400 residents ages 2-100 in its creation. Participants reflected on King’s six principles of nonviolence, as pulled from his essay A Pilgrimage to Nonviolence and distilled into the following phrases: have courage, be kind, don’t hate; solve, stay the course, love yourself and trust.

Many participants hand-painted tiles to express their own interpretation of one of these principles of nonviolence. Others built and glazed field tile, created mosaic panels, or designed and hand cut stencils. Still others prepared the wall, painted the final mural and installed the finished mosaic panels. During the process we also put our learning into practice to dig deeper into some of our own community conflicts, and find our own bits of reconciliation, and the result was quite a journey. To see short videos of this process and of our dedication ceremony, follow the links below:

http://wcatv.org/watertown-weekly-news/kingian-mural/

http://wcatv.org/watertown-weekly-news/kingian-mural-dedication/