5/9/2003
Artists
Against The War/NION
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.
aawnion@hotmail.com
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