Miami Artist Xavier Cortada has worked with Mothers Against Drunk Driving in the creation of several murals to raise awareness about the nation’s most frequently committed violent crime and the No. 1 highway safety concern among Americans: Drunk driving.

For more information about Mothers Against Drunk Driving, please visit their website, www.madd.org

1997 National Youth Summit (washington, d.c.):

In May 1997, during MADD National Youth Summit in Washington, D.C., young people from every congressional district in America participated in the creation of a mural to voice opinions about underage drinking.

Throughout the Summit, the delegates--joined by dignitaries and political leaders--worked on a six-panel mural that captured collective and individual resolve on the six themes of the Summit:

1. The influence of Media on Underage Drinking
2. The Role of Parents in Underage Drinking
3. Accessibility to Alcohol
4. Peer Pressure and Binge Drinking
5. Drunk Driving and Underage Drinking
6. Law Enforcement and the consequences of Underage drinking

The mural was unveiled at the steps of the US Capitol on Mothers Day 1997. National and international media covered the historic event.  To find out more about the 2000 National Youth Summit please visit www.madd.org/nys.f

Diverisity Mural in Miami,FL

Facilitation of Community Mural at the National Diversity Forum--Creating Partnerships to Save Lives, February 23rd, 1999 at the Koubek Center, Miami, Florida.   The completed mural entitled "The Message," was presented to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation after his keynote address.

National Victims Mural in Dallas, TX

In September 1998, Cortada was invited to attend the MADD National Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. Cortada helped drunk driving victims from across the nation use written messages, pictures and poetry to express themselves to create the first National Drunk Driving Victims’ Mural. The mural dedicated at the Conference's end served:

• as a memorial to honor all those who have been killed by drunk drivers,
• as an educational vehicle touring America to teach others about the dangers of drunk driving, and
• as an art piece to document the tragedy that occurred during this century for future generations.

Revised: 14 Mar 2004 17:27 -0500.