Our intention was to create a bold and audacious ART SHOW titled "War and Peace" on Maui proclaiming that:
This illegal and immoral war must stop now.
I was in San Francisco the night of the opening. My first voicemail in the morning following was: "I hope you had a great time last night because you missed one of the best events of the year on Maui."
Thanks Rachel.
All the reviews I've heard inform me that the apparent political apathy we think we see in our country is simply a desire for more creative and artistic expressions against the war. The space was rented out just three weeks before the opening. The media call for art was put out just 5 days before the show.
The best review published so far is from the Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute:
The Maui War and Peace Art Exhibition 2007 opening night was a mind blowing huge success. I saw a miracle in Makawao. This art scene was all about war and peace. It wasn’t about art for tourists. And this is the type of art that one could only see in a big city art scene. This was art that moved you. This exhibition is an important event in art history.I have the honor of writing the first blog post for Maui Artists for Peace. Look for posts from Michelle, Tim, Tom, Jerry, Dave, Chela, Suba... Summer... Russ... Sandra... who else am I missing? Let me know.
Peace,
G
5 comments:
The opening nite was beyond expectations!! Mic Fleetwood and Wille K at the Mac. opening at the Hui No Eau and everyone getting ready for Barry and Stella Movie Festival.. we had no idea but being that the clock was ticking on the lease we put on the opening and the comunity came!!!
It shows me that this illegal war that we need to end and the hope of coming together in peace arealive and well in Maui!!
Please tell your friends your parents, tourists oyu meet to get up and see this spectacular exibition while we have it here!!!
As I open the building every day turn on the lights and walk the show somthing new spark my interest as i see the art in different ways and pull somthing new from it!! You must visit it more than once therre is just to much. You cannot help but cry as you stand in front of Tom Sewells work the poor soul killed over therer for our presidents greed!!
Mahalo to all the artist and volunteers who put this together I fell you may have awaken the voice on Maui and we must continue to spread this message until all our troops are home !!!
Timmm peace to all
How I Got Here, and Why I Won’t Leave
I'm not a sign-carrying, protest-marching, petition-signing, or internet-connecting kind of guy. To be honest, I'm kind of apathetic about politics; I'm too busy listening to what people call my "still-small voice."
Oddly enough, it happens to tell me that my job is to do what I can to help facilitate others in accessing and expressing the still-small voice that lives inside them. And to complete the circle, that obligates me to doggedly pursue the directives that I'm getting so I can be some sort of an example, or at least provide some examples of what that looks like. My art is a reflection of that. When I’m at my best, so’s my life.
It was my neighbor’s voice that got me involved in this “War and Peace” art exhibit in Makawao. She said something like there’s an anti-war exhibit coming up in Makawao, and tomorrow’s the deadline. That was enough for me to at least check in. So I did and now am in the middle of a quest to better understand my relationship with war.
It’s not my fault, really, I had no plans to do this. I really thought that I could keep my focus elsewhere. To be honest, I’ve been quite happy to just do my moment-to-moment thing and ignore all this bog that is the war. But I got up to the site (Elan Vital’s Gallery on Makawao Ave.) and showed Tim and Michelle some of my pieces. While I did that, I watched as all these other provocative pieces came in, one after another.
In the course of a couple hours, I got to see some very touching and powerful works. But, because they were literally being handed over by their creators to the curators, I got to see the connections that each artist had with his or her work. Most important, though, was that each artist was thrilled to be able to share how and why their piece was a very personal statement about their relationship with this war, all wars, peace, or even something you’d think is tangential, but really was right on the mark with the theme!
Now something magical happens when you gather so much work holding so much heart and put it into one location and then christen it with the very real desire of each artist to effect peaceful change; you create a sacred space.
I’ve been here every day since the exhibit opened, and intend to be here every day until it closes. Why? Because I am under the influence of a collective consciousness that prompts me to really look at what lives inside me that allows such things as war to go on.
Now this is completely my trip. I don’t expect you to get on board with the direction I’m asked to explore. I’m dedicating time to find as many creative ways as I can to contribute to -- not the peace effort or the anti-war effort -- but to THIS effort, right here on the island that nourishes me, to unite voices in defense of the future of our children.
My point is, you can come for the circus that is the largest anti-War art exhibit in the United States -- a total of more than 700 artists and 800 pieces if you count the close to 600 children who contributed their artistic statements to the exhibit. But you will stay because in this sacred space, I can flat-out guarantee that you will be touched. If you choose to come back, you’ll find that you’ll get to a deeper level in your understanding of your relationship to this thing called war. Keep coming back and you will fulfill all of the hopes of the artists I’ve met here: you will do something in your life to effect change. It’s inevitable, there’s too much richness here to ignore!
And that change may have nothing to do with war. It’s just as likely to be something that affirms life from the perspective that only you can bring to it.
I am fortunate to be included in the Maui War and Peace show as a last minute entry; even more fortunate to be living close enough to walk to the show on a daily basis. I am amazed at the power of passion in the art in this show. I can only look at a few pieces each time I visit "the cathedral" (as one visitor commented)....I end up so emotionally moved that I always retreat to the Childrens' Room. There, I feel comforted and cleansed by the children's hope for peace.
Mahalo to our Maui warriors of peace: Michelle, Tom, Tim, congratulations on carrying out your vision; may it be our vision for Peace. Aloha, Elaine Gima
Congratulations to everyone involved in the "Stop The War" movement on Maui. Unfortunately, I won't be on Maui until July and the show will be over. Is there anyway that you will be making a full-length video? Will the show be traveling? If there is anything I can do to help to bring it to Florida, I'd be honored. (Yeah, yeah, I know it's the state that elected Bush-all the more reason.)
Keep the fires burning! Way to go Michelle!
Aloha,
Marilyn Avila
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