[Peace-discuss] Fw: Erase in: artists against war global response to destruction of Iraqi culture

[Lisa Chason]

Subject: Erase in: artists against war global response to destruction of
Iraqi culture


> 5/17 SAT, 9:30 AM-9 PM: Erase-in at Metropolitan Museum
>
> Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 21:47:41 -0400
> Subject: First Cities: Erase In
>
> http://www.geocities.com/aawnion/eraseininvitation.html
>
> Erase In
>
> Artists Against The War invites artists and art lovers in New York to
gather
> from 9:30 AM until 9 PM on Saturday, May 17, 2003, at the Metropolitan
> Museum
> of Art's new exhibition, "Art of the First Cities: The Third Millenium BC
> from the Mediterranean to the Indus." Works from Iraq and other countries
> currently living under the threat of US military aggression are displayed
in
> this show. We suggest that on the same day, artists in other cities around
> the world join us by congregating in museums exhibiting ancient Near
Eastern
> art. We will quietly draw the objects around us, and before leaving the
> museum, each of us will erase our drawings to symbolically reflect the
> erasure of Iraqi culture and the silencing of dissent here at home.
>
> We deplore the death, destruction and lawlessness that the "coalition of
the
> willing" unleashed with its invasion of Iraq. Jay Garner calls upon
> Americans to beat their chests proudly because the army prevented major
> damage to oil
> infrastructure! We are not proud; we are shamed by our government's
contempt
> for Iraqi life, culture and history. The Iraq National Museum in Baghdad
was
> looted on April 12, and people throughout the world believe this was an
> organized crime. Vandals entered the vaults with keys and glass
> cutters--replicas were left untouched while valuable pieces disappeared.
> News sources reported that the US army was nearby and did not protect this
> great
> repository of culture. Other museums and archaeological sites throughout
> Iraq were looted and trashed, libraries burned, and universities bombed.
>
> We oppose all attempts to reverse or modify the Cultural Property
> Implementation Act of 1982, which set restrictions on the entry of
> antiquities into the United States. European and American archaeological
> expeditions historically plundered "other cultures' booty" excavated in
> Mesopotamia. After the Gulf War of 1991, there was a huge increase in the
> global trafficking in Near Eastern art. Concerned archaeologists, art
> historians and museum curators warned that another war would bring more
> cultural carnage and asked our government to observe the terms of the 1954
> Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed
> Conflict. These art professionals met with officials in Washington and
> received assurances that international law would be observed, but their
> warnings were ignored and promises were broken. We share their fear that
in
> time, stolen Iraqi art will appear in American collections with impunity.
As
> artists, we oppose this profiteering from the illegal activities of art
> thieves and tomb raiders, and we support all efforts to repatriate stolen
> artifacts.
>
> This is a solemn vigil, created in mourning after a great loss. We will be
> respectful of the art, the museum, and the public. The group will erase
its
> drawings at 12, 2, 4, 6 and 8 PM. The museum does not permit artists to
draw
> with pen and ink. Because the galleries will be crowded, please bring
small
> sketchbooks. We suggest kneaded erasers, which don't crumble. Photography
is
> not allowed in special exhibitions. Instructors cannot accompany a class
> without the museum's advance permission, and no leafletting is permitted.
>
> Spread the word and send this e-mail to everyone you know anywhere who
might
> want to participate. Post it on university campuses. Put it on your
> listservs. We're planning simultaneous Erase Ins on May 17, but they can
be
> organized on other days as well. Please send us pictures and descriptions
of
> your action for our website.
>
> -----------------
>
> Artists Against The War/NION
> aawnion at hotmail.com
> http://www.geocities.com/aawnion/index.html
> View images of looted art from the National Museum in Baghdad
> http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/iraq.html
> More on the looting
> http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11018
> http://www.theartnewspaper.com/iraqmus/index.html
>
> For reports and photos of the Drawn Ins at the Met and six other cities in
> the United States and Europe, go to our website:
> http://www.geocities.com/aawnion/drawnin.html
>