May 2005

http://alawda.newjerseysolidarity.org

"Made in Palestine" Exhibition Planned for New York City

New York based Al Jisser Group, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Arab arts and culture, has been working tirelessly for nearly a year to raise the funds necessary to host the "Made in Palestine" art exhibition. This museum-quality exhibition features works by 23 contemporary Palestinian artists.

Abdel Rahman al-Mozayen's work, "Jenin, 2002"

The show's artwork conveys a message of resilience and resistance. The images, sculptures and installations depict sorrow, struggle and steadfastness. In the case of the pieces by Zuhdi Al Adawi and Muhammad Rakouie, the artists had to overcome the adversity of being incarcerated as political prisoners to create their works with the limited materials available to them.

John Halaka's masterful "Stripped of Their Identity and Driven From Their Land" mural, made with acrylic and the rubber-stamped ink words "Forgotten Survivors," depicts the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland, sentenced to life as refugees.

Abdel Rahmen Al Muzayen's "Jenin, 2002" series mourns the brutal assault on the Jenin refugee camp, but at the same time proudly demonstrates the strength and courage of the Palestinian people, and defiantly perpetuates the culture of Palestine with images of Palestinian dress, the kuffiyeh, and the key held by so many refugees determined to return Home.

The show's curator, James Harithas, accompanied by activist and "Made in Palestine" artist Samia Halaby, visited Palestine and elsewhere in the Arab world to meet Palestinian artists and select the works for the "Made in Palestine" show. The exhibit also features works by Palestinian artists living in Germany and the United States.

The exhibit debuted at the Station Museum in Houston, Texas in May 2003. Originally planned as a 3-month exhibit, the show was met with such immense success and popularity, attracting thousands of visitors, that Harithas decided to extend it for nearly three more months.

Harithas then hoped to travel with the art, displaying it in museums across the country, but since then he has had difficulty finding museums willing to host the show. Off the record, Harithas has been told by other curators that they fear their museums would lose funding if they were to host an exhibit of Palestinian art.

It comes as little to no surprise to Palestinians and Palestine solidarity activists that an art show "made in Palestine" would be met with hostility by Zionists. The show does in fact challenge the attempt by Zionists to erase Palestinians from existence.

Opposition to the show has at its core a racist basis. The show is deemed offensive by some, because it is Palestinian. But many are committed to challenging this racism to refusing to allow Palestinian artists to be silenced.

The "Made in Palestine" show recently returned to public display in April 2005 at SomArts in San Francisco, California. The exhibit will travel to Vermont in October 2005. Artists and activists in San Diego have begun fundraising efforts to bring the show back to California, and the government of Mexico City is in talks with Harithas for a showing there.

Muhammad Rakouie's art, made in a Zionist jail

Despite being denied space by major art galleries in New York, Al Jisser Group is determined to raise the funds required to rent space to bring the full show to Manhattan. New York and New Jersey based artists and activists began organizing fundraisers in July 2004 to raise the $100,000 they anticipate will be needed to cover the exhibition expenses. The group has raised about one-third of the amount required. From cultural performances to film showings, bazaars to plays, each event has exposed an audience to the "Made in Palestine" show, and raised funds at the same time.

The events usually feature a slideshow presentation of the "Made in Palestine" exhibit. This often encourages event patrons to purchase a copy of the show catalog, with the proceeds going toward the effort to bring the show to New York. The catalogs are generously donated to Al Jisser by the Station Museum in Houston.

Al Jisser Group has benefited from the generosity of others as well. International recording artist Simon Shaheen donated a performance to the cause. Al Jisser was allowed to keep the net proceeds from his concert held at Symphony Space on January 24, 2005.

On May 16, 2005, Salam al-Rawi, owner of Mamlouk restaurant in the Lower East Side, opened his kitchen and donated all proceeds from a dinner for 100 to the "Made in Palestine" fundraising efforts.

The project has inspired creativity in event scheduling. In March, students involved with or supporting Al Jisser performed a play by Noura Erakat, "Pulse of the Intifada" over two nights to appreciative audiences. This event also featured artists from Movement in Motion and Fifth Column.

Al Jisser Group will be holding additional fundraising events in the summer months, including an original play by Al Jisser member Ashley Marinaccio.

Al Jisser intends to bring "Made in Palestine" to New York in Spring 2006. For more information, please see Al Jisser's website at www.aljisser.org.