Not one, but three events took place at the monument at the same time today--none of which did the TJ Center organize or plan.

The first was a mural done by a group from Burley Middle School and is in the style of Picasso’s "Guernica," a famous work depicting the tragedies of war. Influenced by Picasso’s cubist style, and changing the mood of the piece from tragic to positive, Burley Middle School art club students chose familiar images unique to Charlottesville’s diverse culture and meshed them together to create a scene rich with local familiarities. Note what I think is Thomas Jefferson rocking out with Boyd Tinsley.

On the other side of the monument, was the local kickoff of National Foster Care Month. The Central Virginia Adoption Awareness Coalition sponsored the event which included a speech from the monument's podium, a mural on the monument and the tying of 270 blue ribbons on the trees by the First Amendment Monument, each ribbon representing one of the children in foster care in Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle and Greene.

The third event was "Clean Commute Day 2009" encouraging area residents to take the Clean Commute Pledge and promise to use a commute option other than driving alone for at least one day this spring.

(Josh Wheeler, Electronic Mail, May 1, 2009)