Abstract

In the Summer of 1998, I painted a mural in the Children's Chapel at the Unitarian Church of Montreal. What was once a plain room with little atmosphere has become, somehow, a magical space. It's clear that the mural is appreciated and acknowledged as having played a major role in this transformation. But how has it played that role? Two parent-child pairs were interviewed in order to gain insights about the role of the mural in the chapel and how it made a difference to the room for people who use it on a regular basis. This is a qualitative study of how the mural is believed to have transformed the chapel room into a sacred space. The emphasis is placed on the children's responses, with occasional references to the parents' when appropriate. Due to the specific nature of the sample, results are not meant to be generalizable to any other population, but rather to serve as a point of reference to others interested in similar situations.