Painting from the Same Palette

Painting From the Same Palette Initiative

Showcasing the work of muralists Devenny and Ervine

Former adversaries Devenny and Ervine began painting murals together in 2007 and their second joint project was unveiled on Monday, April 28, 2008 at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Publicly painting a mural together in the north of Ireland/Northern Ireland is heavily symbolic given the political and cultural significance of murals in this region. With close to 2000 murals located in a relatively small region, these visuals have been used to communicate within and between communities as well as with the international community. Over the past four decades they have saturated the urban landscape, particularly in working class Republican and Loyalist areas. Now, in the context of a society transitioning out of conflict, the decision to paint together made by a leading Republican muralist–a former IRA prisoner–and the muralist son of a prominent Loyalist political leader and former paramilitary prisoner, has been widely acclaimed as both symbolizing and contributing to the conflict transformation taking place.

Explore the Painting From the Same Palette Initiative:

• The Unveiling
• Digital Archive
• The Same ePalette Project
• The Liverpool Mural Project

This content is from the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution, which offers a portal through which those with an interest in conflict resolution and the use of technology can learn from and contribute to the theory and practice of conflict transformation efforts happening across the globe. Such conflict transformation work has been undertaken by muralists Danny Devenny, former Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, and Mark Ervine, son of David Ervine, former Progressive Unionist Party leader and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) member in Belfast, the north of Ireland/Northern Ireland, and it is highlighted in the Painting from the Same Palette Initiative.