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Refugee Art &the Resilience of the Human Spirit
The evocative artwork and poignant personal stories of six New Haven artists/refugees who withstood imprisonment, persecution, fear and anxiety, and even death threats in some of the most repressive countries in the world comprise a new exhibition at the New Haven Museum (NHM): ?Stories from Near and Far: Refugee Artists in New Haven.?
?Stories from Near and Far: Refugee Artists in New Haven? will include a variety of works ranging from ceramic sculpture, photography, oil paintings, handmade ceramic tiles, to clay masks and wooden sculpture from artists whose arduous journeys led them from Iran, Iraq, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Mauritania to the United States. Curated by New Haven sculptor Susan Clinard, the exhibition serves as testament to the resilience of the human spirit. ?Art is cathartic,? Clinard says, ?And the making of it can keep the spirit from crumbling.?
The idea for the exhibition started when Clinard, whose own work is renowned for tapping the well of shared humanity, recounted her experiences with the refugee artists she had become acquainted with through Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), in New Haven, during her acceptance of an award last fall. Clinard?s story of the refugee artists piqued the interest of NHM Executive Director Margaret Anne Tockarshewsky, who had previously exhibited the sculptor?s work. ?We agreed that the experience of refugees in New Haven is part of the city?s current history, so it was a matter of connecting the dots and making the show happen,? says Clinard.
As Clinard and some of the exhibiting artists were recently prepping the exhibition space for ?Stories from Near and Far: Refugee Artists in New Haven,? Clinard witnessed a powerful, yet touching exchange that transcended language barriers, social mores, and a chasm of religious disparity. Twenty-one year-old Iraqi artist Wurood Mahmood remarked to a man working nearby that though the artists had come to New Haven facing different levels of persecution and fear, they must leave their differences behind and be open and receptive to all people?s way of living. In response, 54-year-old Iranian refugee and artist Dariush Rose broke into a brilliant smile, and, pointing to his lips said simply, ?Yes, we are saying the same thing.? The significance of the conversation between two people from previously warring countries was not lost on Clinard.
?Stories from Near and Far? also includes the posthumous exhibition of work by Johnny Mikiki Bombenza, whose heart-rending story weaves a path from the Congo, to Morocco, and Russia, and, finally, New Haven.Images
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Date and Time
Monday Aug 22, 2016
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM EDTWednesday, June 8, 2016 through Saturday, September 10, 2016. times vary, see web site for details
Location
New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Ave.
Fees/Admission
admission varies, see web site for details
Website
Contact Information
203-562-4183
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