Kites rise above the divisions in Gaza

Children flying kites in the Gaza Strip

Kites rise above the divisions in Gaza

Mohammed Omer, The Electronic Intifada, 16 June 2008

I thought of the suggestion of children playing today and found this online. Thoughts and images are a powerful thing. It reminded me of the art project where I had the children draw pictures of "What Peace Means to You" ... for Mahmoud in Gaza, it is flying his kite with his friend, Abdullah on the Egypt side of the wall. For the day they play and have fun trying to capture each others kites in the sky. 

KEY HISTORICAL EVENTS

KEY HISTORICAL EVENTS
A Palestinian artist paints a mural marking the anniversary of the Nakba in the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza strip, 15 May 2006. (Wesam Saleh/MaanImages)

The Death March from Lydda 1948

Israeli soldiers moved into Lydda on 11th July, 1948. 19 000 Palestinians lived in Lydda but its population had been swollen by refugees from Jaffa and from outlying villages to about 40 000.

Palestinians taken prisoner were executed in the Dahmash Mosque The people were forced to leave the town, usually without most of their belongings. Some who were slow to hand over valuables to the Israeli soldiers were killed.

This was during a very hot summer. Temperatures reached 40 degrees centigrade. The refugees were short of water. It was three days before they reached safety near Ramallah. By then at least 350 had died of thirst or exhaustion.

Leicestershire Holy Land Appeal

Palestinians fleeing the Nakba, 1948

This blog has moved to our new site

This blog has moved to the Olympia-Rafah Mural Project's new site:

Olympia Rafah Mural Project Ideas

If you are a contributor to this blog, you should have received an e-mail with new login information. Please post to the new blog instead of here.

Al Awda... The Return

by Fayeq Oweis, Ph.D.

http://www.oweis.com/art.html

The Palestinian house key with 'Al-Awda' (the return)
written in Arabic calligraphy

Landscapes of Palestine

Here are some striking images that I found today...


Ancient Olive Tree.


http://www.macucc.org/emj/images/tree.jpg

Destroyed olive groves in Palestine.

Suba (Arabic: صوبا‎) was an Arab village west of Jerusalem that was depopulated and destroyed in 1948. The site of the village lies on the summit of a conical hill called Tel Tzuba (Hebrew: תל צובה‎), or Jabal Suba, rising 769 metres above sea level, and it was built on the ruins of a Crusader castle.

The village square, which was based on Belmont Castle's courtyard, with surviving medieval structures adapted and rebuilt as domestic buildings and a mosque.

Resistance through Powerful Symbols

I feel the need to bring the definition of the symbols used in the mural. When I post an image I will add the symbology from now on. I will also give the webpage for source reference. I found this image that reflected the vision being created for the Olympia-Rafah Mural. - Maureen

Palestinian Resistance to the Zionist Occupation is expressed through traditional arts as well as political acts of Resistance. Here is a powerful image of the Intifada created in the form of embroidery. The ancient Tree of Life is central. Its roots draw strength from words embodying the principles of Resistance. Doves, another very ancient symbol of Palestine, are sheltered within the tree and banners in the form of the Palestinian flag appear either to issue from or are carried in their beaks. As is the case with many political Palestinian statements in the form of visual art, the women of Palestine are acknowledged to be as vital to the Resistance as the men. The men are armed only with slingshots here, showing the realities of the Palestinian population who, with rocks and slingshots alone, defied the heavily-armed Zionist Occupation and continue steadfastly to struggle against the obliteration of the Palestinian identity and the ongoing theft of the homeland.NABILA HARB

Paint for Mural - Sabra

Hey ya all.
I am sorry haven't been able to get to meetings as I am trying to get myself on my feet here after a pretty hard domestic experience, and my father collapsed this weekend. It has been a rough weekend. .. I thought that Chris was relaying this information, but that was a little too much to ask him to do and he is so sweet it is hard for him to say no. So just in case you didn't know if I was still involved are not. yes..

I have been doing what Erin Asked me to do on her checklist last time I was at the meeting.
She had indicated as I wrote it that we needed:
a. Paint donations: PAINT HAS BEEN DONATED TO THE RAFAH MURAL PROJECT
IT IS ENOUGH PAINT TO BE STORED IN A SPACE THAT IS 3 BY 6
EXTERNAL AND CAN BE USED ON CONCRETE
ALL COLORS
COLOR RACK FOR MIXING COLORS
5 GALLON BARRELS OF PRIMER AND BASE COAT
LOTS OF SMALLER REGULAR SIZED PAINT CONTAINERS... EVERY COLOR FROM PRIMARY TO NEUTRAL. (WE NEED BLACK..HE DOES NOT HAVE BLACK)
HE WANTS TO GET RID OF IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. BEFORE MAY 1ST.
STILL NEED A TRUCK.. I CAN DO THE HEAVY LIFTING AND HE OFFERED TO HELP AS WELL
STILL NEED PAINT BRUSHES AND CLEAR SILICON
STILL NEED DROP CLOTHS AND A WAY TO DISPOSE OF THE STUFF WE 'HOSE OFF' (GARBAGE BAGS iGUESS)
STILL NEED INFORMATION ABOUT 'CITY' REGULATIONS CONCERNING THE USE OF PAINT AND THE DISPOSAL OF PAINT. If for example we get it all over the sidewalk, how do they want us to manage that. Can we drop some on the sidewalk, or must we be extra careful. some cities do not care (elma), some cities care very much (gig harbor). I will look that information up and update you all, unless you already have that information. just let me know.
???do we have a permit...do we need one???
OUTSIDE BROOM
PAINT TAPE I am not sure how liberal we are going to want to be around the windows with 'sloppiness' if we don't want the windows to get any paint at all we will need paint tape.
'BRUSH CLEANER AND HAND CLEANER (SOLVENTS) BUT THEY HAVE TO BE TO CITY SPEC. i WILL CHECK THAT OUT. OF COURSE WE ALL WANT ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE.
'SAND PAPER'
'LADDERS'
'BUCKETS TO WASH BRUSHES AND TO CLEAN SURFACES'
'RAG TOWELS'
'HOSE'
'POSSIBLY GLOVES'

c. process tips for the wall itself as it is old: he has offered to be a consultant for the project in regards to paint and how it reacts to concrete. (LOOK BELOW) HIs name is Roy, he lives in shelton and his numer is 360 426 9524 BUT CALL ME FIRST AT 206 453 0138 BEFORE YOU CALL HIM. Then I will let him know that you will be calling, WHICH WAS AT HIS REQUEST.

d. pressure wash the thing first: He has a pressure washer he is willing to let us BORROW and he has offered to show me how it works. However I have done professional painting of homes and have also done professional pressure washing.
STILL NEED TO FIND A WAY OF GETTING IT TO OLYMPIA
WOULD LIKE A DATE IN WHICH TO BORROW IT. (depending on how far out we are on painting the design. Preparing the surface will take probably a month because it rains here. so we have to catch days when it is sunny to paint. I can tansport and keep paint in my car and since my schedule is flexible let people know that there is a need for helpers for the primer etc.
I have done professional painting on wood and concrete homes so am very familiar with the process.
SUGGESTED WE START THE THE PREPARATION OF THE SURFACE AT LEAST THREE WEEKS BEFORE BECAUSE OF THE NEED FOR EACH COAT TO BE DRY AND BECAUSE IT RAINS HERE ALL THE TIME. SO THAT WAY IF IT NEEDS AN EXTRA DAY WE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME.

c./d. Process: I am sure that some of this is review for some of you, if it is then take what you can use and throw out the rest. As you would a gift, and this is my gift to the project at this time.
1. pressure wash (2 days of drying he suggested) iT HAS TO BE DRY COMPLETELY BEFORE WE CAN PAINT ON IT AS YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW.
2. block primer 1. (24 to 48 hours of drying necessary)
to go in areas that is 'raw concrete' if it is spotted with paint and concrete. The primer and base coast will go over the painted areas and we can paint over those areas. The main goal is to make sure those 'raw' concrete areas are covered first.
3. block primer 2. (24 to 48 hours of drying)
to go completely cover the mural with the primer for an even finish. iT CAN BE USED OVER OLD PAINT IF WE WERE PLANNING ON LEAVING ANY 'OLD PAINT' FOR TEXTURE.
4. Base coat (24 - 48 hours of drying)
5. Clay leaves (applied 24 to 48 hours after paint under and around the leaves has completely dried. He suggested making sure that the edges of the kilned leaves do not have any chunks that could cause the leaves to not lay flat. Adhesive for leaves... Clear silicon.. as used for tubs.
6. Top Coat. A top coat of clear paint will seal the entire project and it will seal the leaves and the paint underneath it so the leaves will have an even better chance of not falling off. It can be painted all around the areas of the leaves where we see silicon. The silicon needs to be about a 1/4 inch block. then you press the leaves on them and use either a damp sponge (I use my fingers) to go around the edges to create a smooth surface.

More Tile Making Images

Arts Walk Celebration - Tile Painting and Performance for Olympia Rafah Mural Project

The Olympia- Rafah Mural Project
Arts Walk Celebration - Tile Painting and Performance!

Come and paint a tile that will be permanently displayed in the Olympia-Rafah
Mural on the Olympia Labor Temple building. Add your voice for peace, in the
form of a painted ceramic olive leaf, which will be one of many leaves of a
giant painted olive tree. Visually express solidarity with our sister city of
Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, and your desire for peace in the middle east -- no
experience necessary!

Come Check us out! We'll be in the Alley between Last Word Books and Quality
Burrito on 4th Ave. in Downtown Olympia on Friday April 25th, between 5-9pm, and
on Saturday, April 26th between 12pm and 4pm.

Don't miss an exciting performance by Olympia's own Holly Gwinn Graham, and
other talented local performers in the Alley by the Free Wall behind the Capital
Theater to celebrate the Olympia- Rafah Mural Project on Friday evening at
7pm.

For questions or volunteer opportunities, please contact 754-3998 or mural@rachelcoriefoundation.org

Olive Tree Images

Anna Rose's Mural Ideas and Input

Tile Making party 1 images

An unfinished amalgam of the sketch from last workshop

Here is a beginning sketch of some of the ideas that we came up with at the last workshop. This is unfinished, but I just wanted to put it out there ASAP, for the sake of brainstorming...

Rafah Wall Breach Images

Expressions of Nakba Competition 2008

Expressions of Nakba Competition 2008
http://www.expressionsofnakba.org
International Call for Entries

The year 2008 marks the 60^th anniversary of the Nakba ("the catastrophe"): the expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948.

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is soliciting entries for a commemoration of the Nakba through personal expressions in the form of visual arts, essays, poetry, music, video and digital media.

"Expressions of Al-Nakba" is an international competition which seeks to present the extraordinary narrative of a dispossessed people through a diverse range of expressions that interpret the collective identity, historic struggle, and emotional experience of the Nakba for Palestinians. The competition strives to highlight the ongoing effects of the Nakba on the contemporary life of Palestinian refugees along with a deeper exploration of the many emerging notions of being in "exile" today.

COMPETITION

The Competition accepts original entries pertaining to the themes of the Nakba in the following five categories:

1. Written Work - Poetry and Short Essays (no more than 1500 words)
2. Recorded Audio - Spoken Word and Music (less than 5 minutes)
3. Visual Arts - Illustration, Painting, Photography and Mixed-Media Work
4. Poster Design - Poster-quality Graphic Design for use in Public Awareness Campaign
5. Digital Media - Digital Video Shorts and Interactive Media (less than 10 minutes)

Selected poster designs will be used for a nation-wide awareness campaign to be launched in May 2008 for display in print media and billboard advertising. Suitable entries must consider design requirements for large scale printing and dissemination.

Entries from youth (age 18 or under) are encouraged for special recognition by the Competition. All written or spoken entries must be submitted in English or Arabic. Along with the submission, all entries must provide a Title, Abstract, and Names/Biographies of the entrants (in English).

We encourage submission of the entries in both high-resolution (for printing/screening) and compressed media (less than 10 MB for the website). There is no Entry Fee.

Deadlines and Awards

Submission Deadline: March 30^th, 2008 (commemorated as Land Day)

Winning Entrants will be notified via email by May 10^th, 2008.

The Competition will award a sum of $500 to each of five winning entries selected in each submission category (for a total of $2,500 in awards provided). All U.S. taxes (federal, state and local, if any) are the responsibility of all winners who have U.S. citizenship. International entrants are subject to a 30 per cent reduction in prize money for U.S. tax purposes.

A subset of the most compelling entries will also qualify for inclusion in the online gallery of the Competition website as well as showcased in public exhibitions held upon completion of the Competition. Two public exhibitions are currently planned by the US Campaign, to be held in Washington, D.C. and Boston during the week of May 15, 2008 to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of the Nakba. Other exhibitions may be held in 2008 in conjunction with partner organizations in the United States and abroad.

COMPETITION WEBSITE

A new website is being setup for submission and display of selected entries from the Competition:

http://www.expressionsofnakba.org

Please check this website regularly for updates and details on the Competition and entries selected.

Download the competition guidelines and submission form:

http://www.expressionsofnakba.org/cfe/Nakba-CFE2008.pdf

Contact Address:

Expressions of Nakba Competition
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
PO Box 21539
Washington, DC 20009

Contact: info@expressionsofnakba.org
Phone: (202) 332-0994

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Canoe Journey: Paddle to Lummi 2007

Peace Doves at Procession of the Species

Chief Leschi and Skokomish Fishing Camp

“From Palestine to Puget Sound: The Olympia-Rafah Mural Project”

The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s TCTV program for March is described below. The program airs twice a week throughout March on Thurston Community Television (TCTV), cable channel 22 in Thurston County. You can watch it every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. and every Monday at 1:30 p.m. throughout the entire month.

For quite a few years Olympia’s peace community been building strong relationships of solidarity with Palestinians working for peace and justice there. Efforts increased after an Israeli military bulldozer murdered Olympia’s Rachel Corrie in Rafah, Gaza, Palestine, five years ago while she was nonviolently protecting a Palestinian family’s home that the bulldozer was poised to destroy.

Now a new solidarity project is being organized: a mural in Olympia affirming the links between Olympia and Rafah.

Although the Olympia City Council shied away from ratifying a sister-city relationship with Rafah, the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project (www.orscp.org), the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (www.rachelcorriefoundation.org), and other supporters of peace and justice are moving ahead with a variety of activities and projects, including a mural in downtown Olympia.

Dr. Susan Greene, a Jewish-American artist/psychologist/educator with the San Francisco Art Institute, has 20 years of experience with collaborative community-based mural projects, including many in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. Since 2005 she has been working with the Rachel Corrie Foundation for a mural in Olympia.

Our TV guests are Cindy Corrie and Rochelle Gause.

"I've never been in jail, but I've been in the army, and that's close enough."

- A quote from my father, Ernie Anderson

Glen Anderson (360) 491-9093 glen@olywa.net

The Olympia FOR works for peace, social justice and nonviolence from a solid foundation in principled nonviolence. For information about the Olympia FOR, phone 491-9093 or visit www.olyfor.org

Break the Silence Murals