Street artist Kevin Ledo paints outside the lines in Portland, 2016

Awareness and Prevention Through Art aptART are back again with another worthy street art project titled ‘Paint outside the lines’, an international street art campaign, highlighting the importance of inclusive and diverse communities.

While past ‘Paint Outside the Lines’ projects have focused on communities in conflict-affected areas, the developing racism and fear mongering in the U.S has compelled action. The first initiative in the U.S, finds them in Portland and aptArt will work with different communities and groups to create murals in four locations throughout the city.

Through workshops and collaborative public art the campaign will address the rise of opposition to refugees, racial tensions, homelessness, and Islamophobia in the United States. As demonstrated by the rhetoric of politicians, as well as both social and conventional media outlets, no society is immune to fracturing along ethnic, racial, class, or religious lines. This project gives voice to those who support an inclusive, tolerant and diverse planet, and who are working towards that goal.

Working closely with community groups, the murals will invite individuals from different backgrounds to come together and Paint Outside the Lines of race, religion, class and conflict.

The talented street artists who were invited to paint for ‘paint outside the lines’ are; Ruben Sanchez (Spain), Ernesto Maranje (U.S) and Kevin Ledo (Canada).

Kevin Ledo paints his new mural ‘Under the same sky’. The political climate in the United States is tense. In the lead up to the presidential election, the media and politicians are targeting refugees and immigrants. The founding documents of the United States, created in part by immigrants, proclaim, “All men are created equal“. To celebrate that idea and emphasize the strength of diversity, youth from RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Student Empowerment) helped kevin Ledo paint their ideas across a massive public wall in downtown Portland, Oregon. The youth cut their ideas into stencils with languages ranging from Arabic to Amharic, Burmese to Somali and some Swahili and English in between. The stencils fill the body of a larger than life girl with her gaze turned upwards. A sky blue ribbon wraps around her body and on a clear day disappears into the sky behind her, reminding all that pass by, no matter where you come from, we all live under the same sky.

Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

Kevin Ledo, Paint outside the lines project, Portland. Photo credit aptART

The walls will be lasting landmarks for participants and viewers to reflect on the value of inclusive communities.

Paint Outside The Lines is supported by the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), Montana Cans (official), Mercy Corps, p:ear and IRCO.

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