was at Machines with Magnets Gallery, Pawtucket, Rhode Island and  Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, Massachusetts

A group of local artists cme together to organize a multi-media art exhibition opening in Rhode Island called “Experiencing the War in Iraq.” The aim of the exhibition is to give a human face to the complex conflict in Iraq, to bring together diverse expressions of individual experience and to reconnect those who have unconsciously cocooned themselves from the grim reality of the war. Through the language of art, the exhibition seeks to transcend the limitations of mainstream media coverage and engage the public in a broad-based dialogue that promotes awareness, understanding, and healing. The exhibition will include work from both soldiers and civilians that utilizes video, audio, photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and the written word. 600 entries were received from around the planet, including the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and South America, as well as close to home. Of the artists selected to appear, here are just a few names to mention:

Wafaa Bilal, the Iraqi installation artist who was tortured under Saddam Hussein’s rule and who teaches at the Art Institute of Chicago: www.crudeoils.us/wafaa/
Dahr Jamail, the author of Beyond the Green Zone: www.dahrjamailiraq.com
Mark Nelson, engaged with social justice for three decades, best known for his installations:www.gringolandiastudio.com
Benton-C Bainbridge, the video artist known for real-time performances at Lincoln Center, the Whitney Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art: www.benton-c.com
Kenny Carnes, the veteran who performs a solo oral history in dramatic verse: www.kennycarnes.com

The exhibition asks what does it mean to experience this war firsthand, in combat, or as an Iraqi civilian? What does it mean to experience it from a distance, or on television? How can we in America connect to the reality of war? Are there shared visions of peace despite cultural and religious differences? The work was selected purely on artistic merit, to include as many perspectives as possible, beyond politics.

The show opened on March 6th, 2008 simultaneously in the Arts Exchange (Pawtucket Armory) and Machines With Magnets in Pawtucket. There were related screenings and performances at the Slater Mill Theatre, and Mixed Magic Theatre, as well as AS220 and the Cable Car Cinema in Providence, RI. A vigil with candlelight procession, music, theatre, and spoken word performances were held March 19th to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the War. Â The hope is to reach thousands of people locally, perhaps tens of thousands by media exposure and the project website, which will become an active archive. After the exhibition closed in Rhode Island it opened in Fall River.