"THE SUBJECT OF PALESTINE"--ART EXHIBIT COMING TO DEPAUL U. ON FEBRUARY 24TH

this wonderful and important exhibit is coming to chicago's depaul university on february 24th. please forward this announcement to as many listserves as you can, and post it on your websites as well. at the end of the announcement is a fundraising letter from samia halaby, the co-curator of the exhibit, and one of the artists whose work will be displayed. please read and forward it as well, because we want and need for a catalogue to be produced and published.

email or call menna khalil (mennakhalil (at) gmail.com or 630 674 1626) for precise info about donating, and to obtain flyers in english and arabic. please support this exhibit with your money and presence. thank you.

hatem abudayyeh
executive director,
arab american action network
__________________________________________

STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE
AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY INTRODUCES...

"The Subject of Palestine": an art exhibit brought to the DePaul University Art Museum by Students for Justice in Palestine.

While Palestine and Palestinians are the subject of steady newspaper and television coverage, the media seldom give a sense of the diversity, complexity, and human experience of the Palestinian population, both within the territories and living abroad. This exhibition takes as its starting point the different life experiences inside and outside, the range of issues of concern to artists, and the varied audiences to whom Palestinian artists address their work. The show will feature the work of more than ten artists of Palestinian nationality living at home or abroad--some established and well known, others at early stages of their careers. The exhibition will be documented by an illustrated brochure.

Organized by: Students for Justice in Palestine and the DePaul University Art Museum

Exhibition: Approximately 40 works, including installation and graphic media

Dates: February 24-May 14;
OPENING RECEPTION FEBRUARY 24TH, 5-7 PM

Location: North Gallery, DePaul University Art Museum, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, 60614

Programs and events relating to the exhibit:
To be determined--poetry readings, curator's lecture, artists' panel discussion, films, etc., will be announced as they get finalized.

Please contact Menna Khalil on behalf of Students for Justice in Palestine with any questions at mennakhalil (at) gmail.com or (630) 674-1626.
___________________________________________

Dear Donors,

An important exhibition of Palestinian art will open on February 24th at the DePaul University Museum. Young Arabs and their supporters, members of the Students for Justice in Palestine, collaborating with their university, have invited Samia Halaby to organize the exhibition. Palestinian artists and poets will attend to discuss their work and meet with the community.

"The Subject of Palestine," the title of the exhibition, is on everyone's mind. But more importantly for our project, it is on the minds of Palestinian artists. The vast majority of them have made Palestine the central theme of their work. The compelling and continuing tragedy of Palestinian life makes this inevitable.

With gentleness they bring their pain into pictures that, if allowed, tell everyone of all the details of life under occupation, of the experiences of refugees, of home demolition, of statelessness, of bereavement, martyrdom, and of the heroic struggle for life, for safety, and for freedom.

This exhibition will give you the rare opportunity to see the work of Palestinians who live in Ghazze (Gaza), Al Jalil (The Galilee), various towns of the West Bank, and in refugee camps. Artwork of Palestinians who live in Europe and the US will also be in the exhibition. All of them create art that talks about Palestine. Those outside direct their message to the outside world, while those inside direct it to the struggling Palestinian masses.

Leaders of the Arab community in Chicago, the young students, DePaul University, and the curator all urge you to please help in supporting this exhibition. Your financial support is just as crucial as your support in spreading information about it.

We hope you will consider how important this is for our entire community, and how persuasive an art exhibition might be to those many Americans who would like to learn more about us. What better way is there for us to challenge the fog of misinformation about Arabs and Muslims in the US than to exhibit our wonderful art.

Samia Halaby has reminded us often that confidence in our culture is very important to our youth. They are bombarded by ideas and images that tell them to feel inferior, when in fact, their history and their origins are magnificent. Modern Arab art is alive, dealing with issues of concern to their communities. Palestinian art is full to the brim with powerful feelings built on heroic resistance.

Please donate to this project generously, and please assign your donation for the production of a catalog so that we would be able to preserve and extend this important work.