Displaying art to end genocide
March 11, 2008
Senior Amanda Eichenauer examines a piece by senior Elizabeth Siegel on Friday at Orr Street Studios. STAND Mizzou co-sponsored the exhibition, which benefits the victims of the genocide in Darfur.
MU students, Columbia residents and area artists joined forces last weekend with one central goal in mind: putting an end to genocide in Darfur.
On March 7, 8 and 9, Orr Street Studios was filled with ceramics, paintings and other artwork contributed by artists throughout Columbia in an attempt to spread awareness of the mass genocide occurring in Darfur. STAND Mizzou, a student anti-genocide coalition, helped to sponsor the event.
“With something like a protest, it spreads awareness, but it happens once,” STAND Mizzou President Nadege Uwase said. “A painting lasts forever. Someone could have it hanging in their house and for those 5 or 10 years it’s up, people will ask about it, and when they explain where they got it, they also spread awareness about what’s going on in Darfur.”
Much of the art directly highlighted the situation in Darfur, including a painting by MU senior Lizzie Siegel showing a child with a gun at the top and a child with a book at the bottom.
“Children literally become the ones at the front lines,” Uwase said. “The piece showed the contrast between what’s going on and what we want. We want kids to have the chance for education and to have a normal life.”
Siegel said that for a long time, she composed works of art related to the genocide on her own, specifically highlighting the plight of women.
“When I found STAND, there was this community that made me feel like I was actually making a difference and doing something with all of the emotion that I had,” Siegel said. “I got the feeling that when you work with other people change is really completely possible.”
This year was STAND Mizzou’s second show. Uwase said they were able to build on last year’s show and use what they had learned to make planning easier, advertising more effective and the event more successful.
“The venue, Orr Street Studios, also let us use the space for free, which was very gracious,” Uwase said.
Former STAND Mizzou President Julie Vanmater said last year’s art show was planned in conjunction with the Global Days for Darfur Benefit Concert and Die-In protest.
“We thought it would bring in the art crowd in Columbia that might not come to the protest,” Van Mater said. “We wanted to plan an event that would involve the entire community, and draw in more than just students on campus.”
Siegel said the event brought in many people that still had a lot of questions about what was going on in Darfur and wanted to help.
“A lot of people think the problem with Americans is that they just don’t care, but that isn’t the case,” Siegel said. “They just don’t have the right outlet to gain that understanding. Community awareness is the first step to implementing change.”
This year’s exhibit did just that. Uwase said this year’s show brought in about 100 visitors and collected at least $800.
“That number, though, is just a minimum,” Uwase said. “A lot of people visited the show and may not have had money with them, so they reserved pieces and will pay later.”
More March 11, 2008 News Stories
- SHC system more efficient — The MU Student Health Center has created a new scheduling system in an effort to simplify students’ visits. The new ...
- 10 arrested in Columbia crackdown — Yearlong undercover investigation results in 27 indictments and 10 arrests.
- Death of professor leads to manslaughter charge — The man who caused a crash that led to the death of an MU professor is being charged with manslaughter, ...
- Thompson center raises funds with fashion show — Columbia got a taste of both Hollywood and hope Saturday night at the MU Thompson Center for Autism & Neurological ...
- Univ. presidents’ salaries going up — The UM system is one of many universities across the country whose president’s salary is increasing greater than the rate ...
Most recent News Stories
- Black Culture Center celebrates 10th anniversary — Faculty members hope all students will use the center.
- Despite curators' concerns, Luetkemeyer still in favor of student vote — Gov. Matt Blunt vetoed a bill that would have given the "student curator" a vote.
- Enrollment and financial aid topics at curators meeting — Many college students struggle to manage their finances and student loan debt, but the UM system Board of Curators said ...
- Security cameras installed in residence halls, MSA leaders pushing for more — More cameras will be installed as funding becomes available.
- Department of Student Communication gets new director — Porscha Kirkwood, who was Legion of Black Collegians vice president last year, accepted the position Thursday night.