Wednesday, May 17, 2017



An Extraordinary Woman An accomplished Artist, and Incomparable Visionary for Peace. We are so privileged to have Joanne Tawfilis as creator of the Muramid Mural Museum  and Art Center here in Oceanside, who has  given to Oceanside and Artists Alley this beautiful space for Artists of All ages and all makers of Art.   It is our great privilege to call her Friend and Colleague. Congratulations Joanne, you deserve this Honor...We applaud !                                   
Dr. Joanne Tawfilis



Cal State San Marcos will award three honorary degrees during commencement ceremonies May 19-20 and Joanne Tawfilis is among them!
The CSUSM Honorary Degree Committee, an advisory committee appointed by the president to represent the university community, considers nominations for an honorary degree. Any CSUSM students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community may suggest potential honorary degree recipients to the committee.
Nominees must be distinguished in their respective fields, and the eminence of persons nominated must be widely recognized.
The CSU Board of Trustees makes the final determination and awards the degrees in the categories it considers most appropriate. (Joanne is being honored with a degree in Fine Arts!)
Tawfilis, who has partnered with CSUSM on numerous projects, has dedicated her life to promoting peace through art. She will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts during the 9 a.m. College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences ceremony on Friday, May 19.
Tawfilis spent most of her career as a United Nations executive and is a former director of the Women of Srebrenica Project in the former Yugoslavia. Her work took her to Bosnia in the mid-1990s, which proved to be a life-changing experience.
During her time in Bosnia, Tawfilis volunteered for a few hours several times a week facilitating art lessons at a local orphanage. Working with 350 orphans from the war-torn country, she used the only materials available – a 10-gallon can of white wall paint and bed sheets riddled with bullet holes – to create canvases for the children to paint murals.
That experience led to the creation of the Art Miles Mural Project, which works with schools throughout the world to help incorporate art into curriculum. The Art Miles Mural Project has facilitated the completion of more than 5,000 murals painted by more than 500,000 participants from 125 countries.
The project has grown to include a permanent space for the Muramid Mural Museum and Art Center in Oceanside.
Tawfilis has been a speaker for CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures Series and led a project for students after the Sandy Hook tragedy to create 14 murals that were displayed in the Connecticut Capitol building. She has also facilitated mural paintings for many University events, including Discover CSUSM Day and Voices for Hope Suicide Prevention Week.
Cal State San Marcos will award three honorary degrees during commencement ceremonies May 19-20 and Joanne Tawfilis is among them!
The CSUSM Honorary Degree Committee, an advisory committee appointed by the president to represent the university community, considers nominations for an honorary degree. Any CSUSM students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community may suggest potential honorary degree recipients to the committee.
Nominees must be distinguished in their respective fields, and the eminence of persons nominated must be widely recognized.
The CSU Board of Trustees makes the final determination and awards the degrees in the categories it considers most appropriate. (Joanne is being honored with a degree in Fine Arts!)
Tawfilis, who has partnered with CSUSM on numerous projects, has dedicated her life to promoting peace through art. She will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts during the 9 a.m. College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences ceremony on Friday, May 19.
Tawfilis spent most of her career as a United Nations executive and is a former director of the Women of Srebrenica Project in the former Yugoslavia. Her work took her to Bosnia in the mid-1990s, which proved to be a life-changing experience.
During her time in Bosnia, Tawfilis volunteered for a few hours several times a week facilitating art lessons at a local orphanage. Working with 350 orphans from the war-torn country, she used the only materials available – a 10-gallon can of white wall paint and bed sheets riddled with bullet holes – to create canvases for the children to paint murals.
That experience led to the creation of the Art Miles Mural Project, which works with schools throughout the world to help incorporate art into curriculum. The Art Miles Mural Project has facilitated the completion of more than 5,000 murals painted by more than 500,000 participants from 125 countries.
The project has grown to include a permanent space for the Muramid Mural Museum and Art Center in Oceanside.