Designed to promote goodwill and increase awareness of other cultures, Crestwood children created a 14-foot long acrylic on canvas mural that will be exhibited in Cuba. In return, a mural created by Cuban students will be on exhibit at Crestwood and later at other locations in the United States. Crestwood will donate materials for the mural to be painted by Cuban children.

Crestwood Fine Arts Specialist Ted Ferrand, who travels each year to the Caribbean to paint, started the Mural Exchange Project, now in its second year. The inauguration of the project and exhibition of the first mural in Cuba took place at the Galeria de Arte Universal, the premier gallery of art in Cuba's second largest city Santiago de Cuba, where Ferran's counterpart Grettel Arrate Hechevaria is the director. The project received coverage on Cuban television and in Santiago's newspaper.

When asked about his motivation for starting this project, Ferrand said," Despite past and present conflict between the governments of our two countries, there exists a significant reservoir of goodwill between the people of Cuba and the people of the United States. As our children grow up and take on the responsibilities of helping to shape the future of our relations with the rest of the world, it is in all of our interests that they are able to see the Cuban people for who they are rather than through the lens of past conflict. We share many of the same cultural roots, family values and interests. Sports, music, art, dance and religion come to mind. If our program can help in some small way to promote harmony, increase awareness and keep that reservoir of goodwill full for the future, this project is well worth out time and effort."