Letter to Oakland Museum of Children's Art

Hilmon Sorey, Board Chair Museum of Children’s Art 538 Ninth Street Suite 210 Oakland, CA 94607 USA.

Dear Mr Sorey, I am writing to you on behalf of the Network of Oxford Women for Justice and Peace (NOW), an organisation with a membership of over 100 women, which is based in Oxford, United Kingdom.  NOW includes women from all backgrounds and a range of ages, political views, religious beliefs and ethnic groups, who are active in peace and justice campaigns throughout the world.

We were shocked to hear that your Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland, California made the decision to cancel an exhibition of drawings by children from Gaza.

              NOW organised a similar exhibition of art work by children living in Gaza depicting their experiences during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and January 2009 when over 1,400 Gaza residents were killed, and thousands more were maimed.  Our exhibition was held at Oxford Town Hall, and was attended by several hundred people – adults and children.  Those who came were profoundly moved by the children’s art.  Some comments in the visitors’ book were;

 “Very powerful - every picture tells a story - these stories must be heard"

"Thanks for putting on this very important exhibition.  Very moving.  Very harrowing"

"I am so saddened that all these children can draw is so graphic.  No-one deserves this"

Following the exhibition children from a local school started corresponding with children in Gaza.

The art work came about as a result of therapeutic interventions by the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme and others who were working to help the children to manage and overcome the trauma they experienced during and in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead.  Some of the art work was indeed shocking, but only because it portrayed the children’s experiences resulting from the bombing of a densely populated area with highly destructive weapons such as DIME (Dense Inert Metal Explosives) and white phosphorus.

Our exhibition raised over £1,500 to support the ongoing work of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme with traumatised children in Gaza.  As you will know, this organisation is highly respected worldwide for its work with adults and children in the Gaza Strip experiencing trauma and other psychiatric disorders.

As a long time resident of the US, I am deeply saddened as well as shocked that in the “Land of the Free” you are denying Americans the opportunity to view the art work of children from Gaza for themselves.  I keep thinking of one of the drawings in our exhibition.  A young girl has drawn many people standing with their backs to what is happening in Gaza.  They represent “the world”, and the young artist has written “the world is only watching”.  Sadly, it seems that you are not only “just watching”, but in fact you have totally turned your backs on their suffering.

In conclusion, we ask that you bring this letter to the attention of your Board and we urge you to reconsider your decision not to show the Gazan children’s art work in your museum. We await your response.