7 June 2006
A group of primary school students who painted a giant anti-war mural last week unveiled their artwork at Monash University's Peninsula campus.
They were inspired by Pablo Picasso's famous mural, 'Guernica', which he created in 1937 to protest against the brutality of bombing in the town of the same name during the Spanish Civil War.
The Picasso mural became an international symbol for peace and spawned the Kid's Guernica International Peace Project in which children around the world create murals promoting harmony.
The grade five and six students from St Joseph's Primary School, Chelsea, were prompted to take part in the worldwide peace project by their teacher and Monash Education faculty tutor, Ms Eloise Cole.
"Monash educators feel it is important to encourage school children to make a direct contribution to social change through involvement in their local community," Ms Cole said. She was introduced to the Kid's Guernica Project by Monash's Coordinator of the Graduate Diploma of Education, Mr David Zyngier.
The young artists from St Joseph's are the first students in Victoria, and only the second group in Australia, to paint a Guernica mural.
Information about the Kid's Guernica International Peace Project can be found at the Kids Guernica website.
For a photo of the mural unveiling call Ms Robyn Anns, Media Communications, on +61 3 9905 9317, +61 3 9903 4546 or 0417 568 781.
| 
