A collection of unlikely artists will unite for the third time
Sunday at Gavilan College for an exhibit called the Piece Process
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Gilroy – A collection of unlikely artists will unite for the third time Sunday at Gavilan College for an exhibit called the Piece Process 3. The group consists of 11 Palestinian, Arab, Jewish, Israeli and American artists who came together to show their work – in an environment free of censorship – to reveal how individuals from often splintered backgrounds can peacefully exist in the same place.
Each artist represents a different piece in a dialogue about tolerance. The idea is not to find a resolution about ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, but to show that multiple voices exist, and that they all have value.
“It’s not a ‘peace process’ it’s about the process. Art cannot undo things, but we can demonstrate how we can work together,” said Granite Amit, an Israeli born Jew curating the event. “The goal is to create a space where we can meet and talk. The idea is we’re not going to censor each other.”
Amit is the original curator of the first exhibit in 2002. She later joined as an artist as well. As she set up her installation in the Gavilan College Gallery called Grape of Wrath, she explained how the sponsors, the South Valley Islamic Community in Morgan Hill and Congregation Emeth in Gilroy worked together for six months to bring the show to the area.
“They started a collaboration, and they will continue to work together. After hearing that, we were overjoyed,” she said.
Once finished, wine bottles will line the floor. Their labels have tiny print – almost too small to read and includes information about Israeli policy on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It represents the state of emotional denial about current Israel/Palestinian issues. Sheer fabrics with prints of Palestinian and Israeli villages are designed to mimic the movements of people, “like when they are trying to hide from something,” she said.
Paintings and photographs by her fellow artists hang on the walls.
Three 8-foot by 5-foot canvases by John Pitman-Weber, an American Jew, line the back of the gallery. The image of a woman pleading for her home repeats across the panels.
“Our art pieces are having a dialogue … some of it is angry, some of it is overflowing with love. We’re not telling people to feel a certain way,” Pitman-Weber explained.” In our little art show we’re kind of acting out a (way to live together.)”
Finding a venue for the Piece Project has been difficult, he said. Pitman-Weber co-curates the exhibit. The artists range from early twenties to mid-70s. They have varying mediums, but one message: Tolerance for different ideas, for different faiths.
“I think that most people who come are happy to see that it’s a joint project,” he said. “And that it’s about listening with respect.”
