[Peace-discuss] Palestine Arts and History exhibit in Chicago censored by Governor's office

[Alfred Kagan]

I just called and they say the exhibit has been restored in its entirety.


At 8:17 AM -0700 6/5/02, Michael Walcher wrote:
>this is on the ucimc and chicago imc newswire
>
>On Monday, June 3, the Arab American Arts Council and the American 
>Friends Service Committee sponsored a Palestinian art and history 
>display at the Thompson State of Illinois Center in Chicago. Within 
>an hour of the installation, the exhibit was taken apart by a staff 
>person from the Governor's office who said they had already received 
>complaints about the exhibit. Of the 50 photographs in the history 
>exhibit, 8 generic photos were "allowed" to remain.
>
>The Arab American Arts Council and the 
><http://www.afsc.org/>American Friends Service Committee got 
>permission from the Illinois Governor's office to exhibit a 
>Palestinian display of history, art and culture this week at the 
>Thompson State of Illinois Center in Chicago. The exhibit included a 
>three panel display developed by AFSC which highlights Palestinian 
>arts, dance, food and architecture, which has been displayed in 
>Chicago -area public schools this year.
>
>The exhibit also included a collection of photographs developed by 
><http://www.sabeel.org/>Sabeel, an ecumenical Christian organization 
>based in Jerusaelm, that follows the Palestinian experience from 
>1948 to 1998. The Sabeel exhibit consists of 50 photographs which 
>were installed on display boards in the Thompson Center Monday 
>morning.
>
>Within an hour of the installation (AAAC staff were in the basement 
>of the building eating lunch), the exhibit was taken apart by a 
>staff person from the Governor's office who said they had already 
>received complaints about the exhibit. Of the 50 photographs, 8 
>generic photos were "allowed" to represent the Palestinian history. 
>The three-panel arts and crafts exhibit also was allowed to stay up.
>
>We encourage you to contact Governor George Ryan's office (100 W. 
>Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601; phone: (312-814-2121) and say 
>you are aware that they did not allow the full exhibit of 
>Palestinian history and culture to be displayed in the building. 
>Please thank them for agreeing to allow space for the Palestinian 
>display, but register your strong opposition that they chose to 
>censor many important images of the Palestinian experience. We 
>understand they are making note of all calls.
>
>Please repost.
>
>
>
>Do You Yahoo!?
><http://rd.yahoo.com/welcome/*http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/fc/en/spl>Sign-up 
>for Video Highlights of 2002 FIFA World Cup


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu
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