Intent Versus Outcome of International Mural Exchange

Artists, community groups, teachers and organizations often design programs with the specific intent to create social dialogue between two or more groups. More often than not, these programs are not analyzed in a significant way to determine the impact of said program and to find out whether it had any positive effects on the participants. It is necessary, when developing programs in art education that are designed with specific social and cultural issues in mind, to try and determine if the intended outcomes and successes of the program resonate with all participants involved. If not, the program should be re-evaluated to implement the anticipated goals that were originally proposed. With these beliefs directing this investigation, the Talking Mural projects of the organization Let Art Talk were researched. This mural exchange occurred between participants in Uganda and the United States, using a common theme of “environmentalism.” Research was undertaken in an attempt to determine if the stated goals and intents of this program were achieved and understood by those individuals who participated in and received this program.