"PEACE JUSTICE & UNITY
CAN SERVE AS A STATEMENT
OF SYDNEY TO AUSTRALIA
& THE REST
OF THE WORLD"

Peace Justice & Unity Mural - Pilgrim House CBD Sydney 1984 & 2003
Project artists David Humphries, Rodney Monk, Ashley Taylor
Commissioned by Pitt St Parish. 

The murals theme was developed through workshops chaired by Rev.
Dorothy Mc Mahon, the Minister of Pitt St Uniting Church
together with the artists of Public Art Squad, (David Humphries, Rodney Monk, Ashley Taylor) and the tenants of Pilgrim House representing organizations such as the Church Council, Pitt St Uniting Church, Amnesty International, Freedom from Hunger, Community Aid Abroad, The Tea Co-op and committed members of the CBD community.

In this case the physical danger of working high off the ground on scaffolding on the external wall of a skyscraper prohibited community involvement in the painting process. However, the church and city communities were extensively involved through the workshopping of ideas in concept development, designing and approval stages of the work, while thousands of Sydneysiders eagerly watched the daily progress of the painting.

It was funded by the Division of Cultural Activities NSW Premiers Dept, Sydney City Council, and Pitt Street Uniting Church with donations from Solver Paints, Instant Scaffolding, and many individual supporters.
In 2001 when the building was being refurbished, the mural was painted over.
Public Art Squad embarked upon a campaign for the mural's reinstatement.
With considerable community support they raised the funds for its reinstatement from The NSW Premier, the City of Sydney Lord Mayor, Uniting Church, Multiplex and donations from a wide range of community members.

In 2003, (20 years from its conception) the Mural was reinstated by the original artist team of Humphries, Monk & Taylor.

David Humphries says, ìProminent art works like Peace Justice and Unity help shape the character of the city and are
often viewed by the public with great affection. There is a genuine recognition of the importance of this mural in the
community and I believe the desire to have it reinstated was wide.

The Premier, Bob Carr, cited Peace Justice and Unity as an outstanding example of mural art of the period.
" The scale of the mural and its enduring themes of peace and racial harmony will once again be a reminder of the kind of
community in which we all strive to live. I congratulate Public Art Squad on their efforts to engage the community in the restoration
of a work of considerable artistic merit and public appeal".
The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Lucy Turnbull, said the City was pleased to support the re-establishment of this evocative and
influential muralî to its former glory. She looks forward to it regaining its former significance in the City’s streetscape.