Baghdad's Blast Wall's Become Colorful Canvases -- MSNBC
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Slowly over time, Baghdad has become a more colorful city.
Though most of the city remains a dusty, beige hue, the grey, concrete blast walls that shield neighborhoods and government buildings from potential suicide bombers or other intruders have been transformed into large, public canvases for the city's artists and others who may be inspired to pick up a brush.
The idea to beautify the city began about two years ago, when students at Baghdad's Academy of Fine Arts proposed painting blast walls near their campus. Their work depicted images that were typically historical – Baghdad and Basra in the 1940's for example.
Soon local municipalities and government ministries commissioned the students and other artists who were still left in Baghdad – a fair number had fled Iraq – to paint the walls.
Funding also came from the American military, the Iraqi government and relief organizations. The artists were each paid about $15 a day to paint the 12 foot high slabs of concrete.
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