Media Contact: Micki Leventhal, 312-344-7383; mleventhal@colum.edu
Chicago, April 2003 -- The Clear Valley Incident, 1615-2003, a room-sized photographic installation by internationally renowned Greek Artist Despina Meimaroglou, uses digital images of a 1615 mural depicting "the Martyrdom of the Nuns of the Cistercensi Order in Vittavia of Poland" and contemporary photographs of individuals that capture a sense of the modern indifference to violence. The juxtaposition of these provocative and poignant images is intended to "explore the humanity of religious women as they struggle to do God's work in the face of persecution and oppression."
The Clear Valley Incident opens in Columbia College Chicago's A + D 11th Street Gallery, 72 East 11th Street on May 2 and runs through May 16. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. -- 5 p.m. Tuesday -- Saturday. For more information call 312-344-6156.
The exhibition, which kicks off Columbia's multi-day conference, Dignity Without Borders: Art, Media and Human Rights, opens with an artist's reception in the gallery at 5:00 p.m. on May 2. At 6:30, artist Meimaroglou will join co-panelists Leonard Lehrer, Dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts, Columbia College Chicago; Helen Frederick, Executive Artistic Director, Pyramid Atlantic; Kay Hartmann, Art and Design, Columbia College Chicago; Ed Paschke, artist, Northwestern University; Mysoon Rizk, Ph.D., Center for Visual Arts, University of Toledo; John Richardson, sculptor, Wayne State University and moderator Jay Wolke, Chair, Art and Design, Columbia College Chicago for a panel discussion on "Art and Human Rights: Destined to Collide?" Participants will discuss whether or not artists have a responsibility to respond to human rights abuse and, when artists do respond, does the definition of art change?
Dignity Without Borders: Art, Media and Human Rights will continue May 5 – 8 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers and at selected venues on Columbia's south loop campus and will include keynote addresses, workshops, panel discussions and film screenings. Most events are free and open to the public. For further information call 312-344-7675 or visit http://humanrights.colum.edu.
"The conference is to function as a catalyst to bring the human rights stakeholders together, explore and examine terms, goals and mutual interests," says Rose Economou, conference coordinator and professor of journalism at Columbia. "We intend to provide a forum for networking between scholars, educators, artists, media makers, social justice activists and other interested audiences – thereby stimulating ideas that will move forward beyond the scope of the conference and develop collaborations and partnerships that will address the issues of human rights on a global level. It is being organized in partnership with educators, humanists, students from Columbia College Chicago and other educational institutions, representatives from local and national human rights organizations, artists, journalists, documentary filmmakers, community leaders and victims of human rights abuse. The conference will address three main themes: Crimes Against Humanity; Violence Against Women and Children; State and Corporate Abuse; and Religious, Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Intolerance."
Dignity Without Borders is sponsored by the McCormick Tribune Foundation with grants from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Illinois General Assembly and the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation.