Media Advisory
For Immediate Release
Censored Palestinian Children’s Exhibit to Open Outside of Museum
September 22, 2011
Media Advisory
For Immediate Release
Censored Palestinian Children’s Exhibit to Open Outside of Museum
September 22, 2011
Berkeley, CA—Following a nearly month-long campaign to protest the decision by the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) in Oakland to cancel an exhibit of art by Palestinian children, the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) will present “A Child’s View From Gaza” in the courtyard outside of MOCHA this Saturday on the scheduled opening date, September 24; details are below.
In early September, the Museum’s Board of Directors voted to cancel the art exhibit following enormous pressure from the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of the East Bay. Both organizations boasted to several media outlets that they forced the MOCHA Board to make that ill-advised decision.
The Museum’s decision to cancel the art exhibit has since triggered a massive outcry against the censorship of Palestinian children’s art. Concerns over the “violent” nature of the images were cited as reasons for canceling the exhibit, but MOCHA has had a long history of presenting similar wartime artwork, including an exhibit by Iraqi children of drawings depicting the U.S. war on Iraq.
“Much of the artwork featured in the exhibit originated from MECA’s psychosocial program called ‘Let the Children Play and Heal,’ which uses the arts to help children cope with trauma. These children artists in Gaza are witnesses to and survivors of Israel’s brutal 23-day assault in 2008-2009, and now pro-Israel groups have used their vast financial resources to prevent them from telling their stories,” said Barbara Lubin, Executive Director of MECA.
“However, we made a promise to the children in Palestine that we will show their artwork and make their voices heard. We look forward to sharing their drawings and experiences with the Bay Area on Saturday,” she continued.
The free exhibit, co-sponsored by nearly twenty local organizations, will feature poetry readings, edible art, and special activities for children and families.
DATE: September 24, 2011
TIME: 1:00-3:00PM
LOCATION: Courtyard outside of MOCHA, 538 Ninth Street, downtown Oakland
End.
For media requests, please contact:
Leena Al-Arian
Communications Coordinator, MECA
510-548-0542 / Leena@mecaforpeace.org
https://www.mecaforpeace.org
