Exhibit of Gaza children's art shut down in Bay Area

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Oakland Museum Shuts Down Palestinian Children’s Exhibit

Berkeley, CA— The Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland (MOCHA) has decided to cancel an exhibit of art by Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip. The Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), which was partnering with MOCHA to present the exhibit, was informed of the decision by the Museum’s board president on Thursday, September 8, 2011. For several months, MECA and the museum had been working together on the exhibit, which is titled “A Child’s View of Gaza.”

MECA has learned that there was a concerted effort by pro-Israel organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area to pressure the museum to reverse its decision to display Palestinian children’s art.

Barbara Lubin, the Executive Director of MECA, expressed her dismay that the museum decided to censor this exhibit in contradiction of its mission “to ensure that the arts are a fundamental part of the lives of all children.”

“We understand all too well the enormous pressure that the museum came under. But who wins? The museum doesn’t win. MECA doesn’t win. The people of the Bay Area don’t win. Our basic constitutional freedom of speech loses. The children in Gaza lose,” she said.

“The only winners here are those who spend millions of dollars censoring any criticism of Israel and silencing the voices of children who live every day under military siege and occupation.”

Unfortunately, this disturbing incident is just one example of many across the nation in which certain groups have successfully silenced the Palestinian perspective, which includes artistic expression. In fact, some organizations have even earmarked funds for precisely these efforts. Last year, regrettably the Jewish Federation of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs launched a $6 million initiative to effectively silence Palestinian voices even in “cultural institutions.”

The free exhibit, co-sponsored by nearly twenty local organizations, was scheduled to open on September 24, and featured special activities for children and families, including a cartooning workshop and poetry readings.

http://maiamuralproject.org/2011/09/oakland-ca-a-childs-view-from-gaza-art-exhibit/

Here are a few of the pictures that these groups (specifically the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of the East Bay) didn't want you to see:

You can view all the pictures at MECA's Facebook page at

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I disagree with the decision in part, but if your sample pictures are any example I could see where the museum might be uncomfortable. If all the art is similar to the examples it would not be difficult to imagine the poor kids could have been directed to a theme rather than spontaneous creation of this art.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I disagree with the decision in part, but if your sample pictures are any example I could see where the museum might be uncomfortable. If all the art is similar to the examples it would not be difficult to imagine the poor kids could have been directed to a theme rather than spontaneous creation of this art.

Stuff like this is why Israel had to keep crayons out of Gaza !

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I disagree with the decision in part, but if your sample pictures are any example I could see where the museum might be uncomfortable. If all the art is similar to the examples it would not be difficult to imagine the poor kids could have been directed to a theme rather than spontaneous creation of this art.

The museum was not "uncomfortable" with the exhibit - they booked it. What made them uncomfortable was being brow-beaten by pro-Israeli groups in the Bay Area - these groups are even bragging about "how they shut down the exhibit."

Seriously - do you really think Gaza children are somehow oblivious of their homes being blown up, family and friends being killed - without someone coaching them ?

Traumatized children draw pictures of what they saw and what traumatized them. Why would Gaza children be any different from any others in the world ?

[The_Dude 1,142]

Stuff like this is why Israel had to keep crayons out of Gaza !

Have Hamas learned how to make bombs out of crayons now?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

[mawilson 2,133]

Very clever. Also very fake.

[slim 1,514]

Some day art will be just as trampled upon as gun rights.

[luckytxn 2,263]

Wow. The kids perspectives are amazing. It would be awesome to see the contrasts of their drawings with the drawings of Israeli kids. Even better would be then to see the contrasts with the spoiled brat kids we have here in this country.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Some day art will be just as trampled upon as gun rights.

Slim, don't hijack someones thread because you don't understand the context behind the 2nd amendment. You should actually read the Heller decision sometime, your rights aren't being trampled.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Oh noez a MEMRI clip !

MEMRI is a Zionist/IDF propaganda machine, disseminating distorted dis-info, mistranslations and out-of-context clips to promote Islamophobic hysteria and extreme right-wing Likudnik agendas.

According to Haaretz, the IDF plants fabricated stories in the Arab media, which MEMRI then translates and distributes.

“…members of the unit used the Israeli media to emphasize reports initiated by the unit that it managed to place in the Arab press….Psychological warfare officers were in touch with Israeli journalists covering the Arab world, gave them translated articles from Arab papers (which were planted by the IDF) and pressed the Israeli reporters to publish the same news here”

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-reviving-psychological-warfare-unit-1.148155

MEMRI was founded by former Israeli military intelligence officer and former head of Israel’s civil administration in the West Bank (and illegal settler) Yigal Carmon, along with Meyrav Wurmser - a rightwing neo-con extremist and warmonger who is now at the Hudson Institute.

Wurmser was one of the co-writers of "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," a policy recommendation prepared for then-and-again prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996. This paper advised him on how to break the Oslo peace process, recommended that he invade Iraq, and advocated endless military confrontations with various Palestinian/Arab/Muslim nations.

Working with fellow pro-Likud neocons Douglas Feith, Richard Perle and Elliott Abrams, Wurmser used this document as the blueprint for the "Project for the New American Century (PNAC,)" which advocated that the U.S. be the one to take the actions advocated in "A Clean Break."

BTW Wurmser is married to fellow neo-con warmonger David Wurmser, who was also part of the Clean Break group, and who was part of ####### Cheney's "Office of Special Planning" inside the Pentagon under Douglas Feith, which is the group that cooked the books on U.S. intelligence to push for the Iraq War when the CIA said there were no grounds for it.)

[slim 1,514]

Slim, don't hijack someones thread because you don't understand the context behind the 2nd amendment. You should actually read the Heller decision sometime, your rights aren't being trampled.

Not any moreso than the rights of these kids to display artwork.

Since you're not so great at context, I'll break it down for you - When you let go of ANY rights, your other rights are easier to take. No hijack intended. We'll start off with something like this and end up censoring TV stations, facebook, etc. "We don't like that sort of thing here."

[mawilson 2,133]

Oh noez a MEMRI clip !

MEMRI is a Zionist/IDF propaganda machine, disseminating distorted dis-info, mistranslations and out-of-context clips to promote Islamophobic hysteria and extreme right-wing Likudnik agendas.

According to Haaretz, the IDF plants fabricated stories in the Arab media, which MEMRI then translates and distributes.

Hilarious!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Hilarious!

You should write Haaretz and let them know.

[mawilson 2,133]

"I see dead peopleZionists."