MADE IN PALESTINE art exhibition

Made In Palestine comes to San Francisco

San Francisco - Made In Palestine, the first comprehensive exhibition of contemporary Palestinian art in the United States opens April 7 and runs through April 22, 2005 at South of Market Cultural Center (SomArts), San Francisco. The exhibition, organized by the Station Museum, the annex to the Art Car Museum in Houston, showcases a collection of contemporary art made by 23 Palestinian artists. This exhibition covers the history of the Palestinian struggle since the Nakbeh of 1948 to the present day.

Oil paintings, works on paper, video, sculpture, textile art, ceramics, and photography, display present individual reflections on the Palestinian contemporary experience and the political situation in Palestine.
The majority of the artists reside in Palestine (Ramallah, Jerusalem, Gaza, Nazareth and Betunia) and a few are dispersed across Middle Eastern countries, (Syria, Jordan and Lebanon) and the U.S. (North Carolina, Georgia and New York).

The Station Museum describes Made In Palestine as "the first exhibit of contemporary political Palestinian art ever displayed in the United States."

Gabriel Delgado, exhibit curator, Jim Harithas, director of the Ineri Foundation, and Tex Kerschen, chief curator traveled to the Middle East for a month and met with artists in Palestine, Syria, and Jordan and selected the works to be included in the exhibition.

The Station mentions, Even with the success of Made In Palestine in Houston, the museum was unable to secure exhibition space at other U.S. Museums. The show has been in storage since 2003 while the curators locate progressive venues to showcase it.

The fact of the matter is: The same forces that monopolize U.S. Media and have succeeded in keeping the Palestinian voice out of the mainstream are the same forces at work in U.S. Museums and art circles. The San Francisco presentation of Made In Palestine is organized by The Justice In Palestine Coalition (JIP) which includes the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Jews for a Free Palestine (JFFP), Free Palestine Alliance, QUIT (Queers Underming Israeli Terrorism), (ISM) International Solidarity Movement , (ISO) International Socialist Organization, MECA (Middle East Children's Alliance) and SUSTAIN (Stop US Tax-Funded Aid To Israel Now) among others.

The JIP coalition hopes to provide a venue for an often-silenced point of view on the history and current collective struggle of the Palestinian people. Rayan El Amin, of the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, San Francisco, said: "Covering issues ranging from the Palestinian Diaspora, Israeli occupation, collective punishment, and the daily individual exercise each artist undertakes to survive, Made In Palestine merges the political with the personal.“ The San Francisco presentation of Made In Palestine kicks off with a fundraiser on February 3, 2005, 7pm at El Rio in the Mission district. Join us for a fun-filled evening of Arabic music and a special film presentation of 'Alive in Limbo'. Donations of $10-$30 (Sliding Scale) will be collected at the door.

Donations are welcome, no matter how small. All proceeds go to support The San Francisco presentation of Made In Palestine. Every gift counts and is tax-deductible. Call 510-548-0542 to make a credit card donation, or mail your check (made out to MECA/MIP) to: Middle East Children's Alliance 901 Parker Street Berkeley, CA 94710