Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

"Still/Chaos" by Sama Alshaibi and Dena Al-Adeeb is one of the defining images of NOT ABOUT BOMBS, a new exhibit presented by the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project. The exhibit features contemporary works from female Iraqi artists and runs February 3 - March 3.

“The Western media is rampant with preconceived notions about women in the Middle East. In an unfortunate display of ethnocentrism, it seems to have trouble getting past hijabs and veils. Women are depicted as subservient and oppressed, and the conversation doesn’t go much further. ‘Not About Bombs’ is challenging that notion in a major way. ‘I want to know what these women are feeling and thinking,’says curator Tricia Khutoretsky. ‘There’s so much going on in the Middle East right now and women are playing a really major role in change. There are a lot of other discussions that can happen.’”

- “What Lies Beneath,” Tony Wagner (MN Daily)

NOT ABOUT BOMBS is set to begin with an opening reception on February 3, 2012 at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. However, we must raise at least $2,400 more to pull it off and avoid scaling back programming. Please consider a gift today to help amplify the voices of female Iraqi artists and make NOT ABOUT BOMBS possible.

By making a contribution, you’ll help present authentic female perspectives in place of stereotypes. NOT ABOUT BOMBS addresses how female voices can fit into the modern context of turmoil and conflict through art and avoid falling into the ways that women are represented… and misrepresented.  The women in NOT ABOUT BOMBS contribute art that is visually and conceptually accomplished, but unpredictable and emotionally engaging.

As curator Tricia Khutoretsky says, NOT ABOUT BOMBS is about the war in Iraq and its effects on women, but less about the practical effects of war and more about how women respond to it emotionally and how their identity is affected by it: “It’s about what women are dealing with or what their thought process is, having been part of a country that’s been at war for the past 10 years.”

By supporting this exhibit with at least a $25 donation, you’ll also get a 12×18 exhibit poster. Thank you for your support!

After the exhibit ends, we plan to build on this and our two previous exhibits, Navigating the Aftermath and The Art of Conflict, to support and strengthen communities of people affected by war and bring the discussion on the effects of war and the lives of those affected into a mainstream audience of Americans.

Here is what some attendees of Navigating the Aftermath said about the exhibit:

• “Beautiful, heartbreaking art work. A reminder that art of all kinds captures and expresses the human condition and experience like nothing else does.”
• “Deepened my awareness of the long-term personal devastation war causes on a society and its peoples”
• “It’s good to see how creative and resilient Iraq’s artists are”
• “I hadn’t seen the Iraqis in this light before.”
• “What a collection of tragic stories shared and based on “both sides” of the Iraq war. Powerful!”
• “The subject matter of both the exhibit and the film was relevant and had an immediacy that captured the audience.”
• “The interactive SPEAK table was extraordinary, giving people an opportunity to share their own comments & experiences.”
• “A 10!  I thought it was very thought provoking and engaging, and eye opening! In a very un-shaded way – the truth was shared by way of interviews and artwork.”

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By Mary Beaudoin
Re-posted from Women Against Military Madness

This is what a doctor from Najaf said that Americans can learn from Iraqis: “Be patient. Survive. Never give up hope.” Mahadi Al-Faraaon, an oral surgeon and professor of dentistry who counseled us with these words, was among eight physicians, accompanied by Intisar Ogal, a radiology technician, and Hiba Qader, a representative of the Iraq Ministry of Culture, who journeyed in late fall of 2011 from Najaf, Iraq, in a delegation to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.

Arrival at Minneapolis Airport

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“As Iraq War officially ends, Minneapolis program aims to repair ethnic hatred“
Joe Cadotte, Free Speech Radio News, 12/19/2011

“The last US combat troops left Iraq over the weekend after nine years of war that left nearly 4,500 US soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead. Thousands more were injured and millions displaced. Much of the country remains in ruin. As physical rebuilding of Iraq continues, one organization has been trying to mend the relationships between ordinary Americans and Iraqis. Since 2004, the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project in Minneapolis has been repairing cultural and ethnic damages from the war, one family at a time. The group has hosted 40 Iraqi professionals in Minneapolis in an effort to dispel stereotypes of Iraqi and American culture. FSRN’s Joe Cadotte caught up with some of the Iraqi doctors visiting Duluth and files this report.”

To listen to the report, click here.

Sami Rasouli, director of our partner organization, the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, discussed the withdrawal of US troops on the December 16 edition of Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Read the transcript or listen to the interview below, or click here to visit the story on the Democracy Now! site.

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Arrival at Minneapolis Airport

Iraqi dentist Mahdi Al-Faraaon believes Americans can learn three things from his countrymen and women: Be patient, survive and never lose hope.

Al-Faraaon, seven physicians, and one journalist visited Minnesota from October 16 to November 3 to build relations between health-care professionals, universities and medical organizations. The doctors hope to build on the visit and work with Americans to rebuild Iraq’s medical system.

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