Peace Exhibit – Reception this Friday

 

The South Dakota Peace and Justice Center presents

Reactions: Witnessing the Occupation

an art exhibit featuring fourteen artists’ perspectives on the War in Iraq.

Where: Black Sheep Coffee, 1007 W. 11th, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

When: March 16 through April 6, 2008

An Artist Reception will be held Friday, March 21st at 8 pm.

Artist talk will be followed with music by Jeanie & Bill Keller and Johnnie B.

Mainstream media constantly gives us images and perspectives that come from outside our individual frames of reference. Most of us see what we are given via two-dimensional conduits, like TV and movies. This exhibit encourages people to process their internal dialogue on how they feel, or what they are understanding, about the situation America is in because of our occupation of Iraq.

The artworks in “Reactions: Witnessing the Occupation,”  portray the individual artist’s response to the U.S. Occupation of Iraq.  Some images use symbolism to explain how they feel. Lisa Vande Vegte’s Aviary Icons (Seek peace and pursue it)  references Psalm 34:14.  Vande Vegte says: “Each of the three birds in the painting symbolize an idea relating to peace and conflict. The dove is a Christian symbol of Peace; the eagle symbolizes strength, freedom and protection (Isaiah 40); and the owl symbolizes the forsaken and watchfulness.” 

Nathan Holman’s Guerra (war) is a woodcut with skeletons in the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” positions. Richard Reedy took a photo of the Statue of Liberty in McKennan Park which appears to have tear going down her cheek and calls it Weeping Nation.

While in Italy, Chase Chisholm took photos of graffiti about America: “They document and scream boldly vandalized messages the United States needs to hear. La strada di Cavour ha parlato. The road of Cavour has spoken. Are we listening?”

Colleen Hendrick-Youso describes her piece The Cost of Honor as a “mock propaganda poster. The image, colors, and slogan are simple in order to make the viewer feel as though they should take action without being told the whole story. However the slogan is incomplete. Most viewers will think this is a simple mistake and ignore it, but some people will see the mistake and question—why? Many times we are given simple answers and catchy phrases as to why as a nation we must engage in war. War is never simple and questions are left unanswered.”

Other artists include: Rick Jansen, Pamela Rose, Michelle Foster, Andrea Crumb, Sam Lopez, Doreen Johnson-Weixel, Scott Ehrisman, Jessica Dunn, and Cathleen Benberg.