|
Pulse of the Twin Cities Login |
|
If you do not have an account yet
Create One.
|
|
|
Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
|
|
|
|
The Iraq Art Project
Wednesday 16 May @ 15:39:04 |
 by LIBERTY FINCH
Sami Rasouli is a name familiar to many in the peace community. In 2004 the former Minneapolis restaurateur left a safe and comfortable life in the Twin Cities and returned to Iraq to be with family in his war-torn homeland. With a focus on reconciliation, Rasouli founded Muslim Peacemaker Teams, which were modeled after the Christian Peacemaker teams he had gotten to know in Iraq.
 For the past two years Rasouli has traveled around the United States as a peace advocate, speaking at churches, colleges and community centers to promote social justice and raise awareness about the real situation in Iraq since the U.S. occupation. This weekend he returns to Minneapolis as part of a unique art-related mission that coincides with Art-A-Whirl, one of the largest self-guided art crawls in the region.
The Iraq Art Project is an initiative of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams that supports Iraqi artists by publishing and marketing original art, and by promoting sales of cards and posters of Iraqi art printed by the Northland Poster Collective.
Kaia Svien is a peace activist, educator and meditation teacher who is involved with the Iraq Art Project. She’s been working—largely as a committee of one—to help promote the initiative and bring financial relief to Iraqi artists. Svien explained how the program evolved.
“Sami talked to artists in Karbala who had trouble selling art … and the idea arose for him to bring the art here to raise consciousness and money for the Iraqi artists,” she says. “He contacted me and a couple other people, and we tried to place and sell the art last year. But it’s tricky to get the attention of Americans, who are so over-stimulated. And what I found, too, is that I couldn’t get it into the art community because galleries decide about 12 months ahead of time what they will show.
“The art he brought was mostly traditional folk art, and not necessarily what’s popular here. Also, in order to get through check points, it all had to be unframed, so trying to get things to look good for the sophisticated North American audience was challenging.”
Svien said that when she tried selling art in St. Paul last year, she was surprised and disturbed by one question that kept popping up. “When I was in St. Paul, five different people came up and said, ‘Are you sending any of this money to the terrorists?’ In a way it seemed almost subconscious because the fear level is so high. I think the question kept popping up because people have been so traumatized [by the war].”
Unable to sell much of the original art, Svien turned to the Northland Poster Collective, an online gallery and catalog store that features the art of social justice and tools of grassroots activism. “Northland’s been around for about 30 years,” she says. “We printed two images to sell as posters and cards, which we think will be a way to soften the heart of the American collective.”
“One poster we have is powerful in the sense that it depicts the place where Abraham lived, in Ur, Iraq. Abraham’s children represent the Arab, Christian and Jewish faiths, and the fact that he lived in Iraq is just so powerful. The message coming from the Muslim Peacemaker Teams is that we’re working with art to break down some of these barriers, and the poster is a great way to go forward. We hope to get it into as many churches, synagogues and mosques as possible.”
Using art to promote peace and an antiwar agenda is a good but challenging tactic. “My work is about mindfulness and helping people be calmer inside, to make different choices and to be compassionate,” explains Svien. “I also want to help people wake up to what we’re facing on the planet, and even though I felt it would be taking a big chance, I like the idea of working with art to raise consciousness.” ||
Schedule of Iraq Art Project events during Art-A-Whirl:
Send an Artful Message to Iraqi Schoolchildren
See the art of Iraqi schoolchildren, as presented by an American art teacher. Hear the children’s longing for peace in a letters written by them. Respond by making a piece of art that will be hand-carried to them in June. The event is presented by Kate Classon and Mary Levins of the Iraq/MN Art Project. Sat. May 19, 1:30 p.m. Casket Arts Building, 4th floor, 1700 Madison St. N.E.
Stories of Iraqi Art, Culture & Peacemaking During the Occupation
Sami Rasouli will stir your imagination and open your heart with stories about Iraqi culture, art and peacemaking during the time of occupation. See Iraqi art, including paintings, posters and note cards. Hear Iraqi music and make a piece of art for peace that Sami will take home to Iraqi schoolchildren. Sat. May 19, 4 to 6 p.m. The Casket Arts Building, 4th floor, 1700 Madison St. N.E.
Peacemaking in Iraq with Sami Rasouli
Sami Rasouli speaks on the topic of "Peacemaking in Iraq." Sun. May 20, 3 p.m. California Building, 2205 California St. N.E., Suite 501.
|
|
 |
|
|
Comments -
Post Comment |
|
The comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for its content.
NO comments yet! Be the first!
|
|
|
