Created and Sold by Laurie Marshall
Consensus Building Through Art - The Four Directions
Item details
Item details
A 8’ x 40’ portable mural, now in the Department of Interior. 45 employees from five bureaus painted this mural as a Creative Leadership Training exercise that I led. Using the concept of the four directions of the Medicine Wheel from Native American tradition as described by Hyemyohsts Storm in ““Seven Arrows””, I gave each of the five teams an 8’ x 8’ space with four circles drawn on it. The teams discussed the wisdom, knowledge, mission and challenges of their bureau. Out of that conversation, they invented visual ways to express their perceptions. The participants employed communication, risk-taking and problem-solving skills to create new solutions. The project served as a type of indoor Challenge Ropes Course, where paints and colored pencils are the tools for accomplishing the team-building exercises.
Following the leadership training exercise, the mural was exhibited at the U.S. Department of Interior Museum in Washington, D.C. from August through October, 2003, in Los Angeles during November for the Federal Stewardship/Partnership conference and at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia in 2004. The mural’s creation and display highlights the importance of including diverse voices in the Department’s decision-making process.
Following the leadership training exercise, the mural was exhibited at the U.S. Department of Interior Museum in Washington, D.C. from August through October, 2003, in Los Angeles during November for the Federal Stewardship/Partnership conference and at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia in 2004. The mural’s creation and display highlights the importance of including diverse voices in the Department’s decision-making process.
Context & Credits
Context & Credits
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