San Juan, Puerto Rico
November 23, 2010
Film shoot
It’s my birthday!
Woke up this morning in a humid haze of jet lag and new digs… with words of snow storms and school closings in Seattle.
We arrived on the red eye, yesterday. And were immediately whisked away to lunch and then a 4 hour production meeting. A productive meeting, going through the script, the shot list, the casting, etc…
Today, we went to the locations, to see where we will be shooting the first day, an apartment, the market. And then on to fittings!
Pretty exciting way to spend my 35th brirthday.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
gold rings on etsy
It's been a week and a half since I returned to the US and my gears have definitely shifted... Although, I have more stories to tell about my journey to Israel and Palestine, they will have to wait for a while.
The last week was full of jewelry making, I finished a large order for a cruise company, and sold my jewels at a private jewelry party... (if you are ever interested in hosting one, please contact me, they are fun).
And now, I am posting, after a very long time, new gold rings on Etsy... Yay!!
20k gold simple hammered band rings for $160
20k gold rough cut diamond simple hammered band ring for $200
They are beautiful and available for sale here.
I have less than one week before we head to Puerto Rico to continue filming the movie we started shooting in France (check the blog archives from July and August 2010) over the summer.. I can't wait! and don't worry I will keep you updated on all the excitement.
The last week was full of jewelry making, I finished a large order for a cruise company, and sold my jewels at a private jewelry party... (if you are ever interested in hosting one, please contact me, they are fun).
And now, I am posting, after a very long time, new gold rings on Etsy... Yay!!
20k gold simple hammered band rings for $160
20k gold rough cut diamond simple hammered band ring for $200
They are beautiful and available for sale here.
I have less than one week before we head to Puerto Rico to continue filming the movie we started shooting in France (check the blog archives from July and August 2010) over the summer.. I can't wait! and don't worry I will keep you updated on all the excitement.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The West Bank, Palestine.. Part 2: the olives
Jenin,
West Bank, Palestine
October 31, 2010
Canaan Fair Trade
We walked out of the Israeli checkpoint and into Palestine, the waiting taxi drivers asked if we needed a ride. “No,” we said, “we are waiting for someone”.
“Who?” they ask, “Nasser Abufarha,” is our reply.
“Aaaa… Yes.” they say in unison.
I hadn’t seen Nasser in years, but knew him from living in Madison, as a restaurateur, a Phd student and a voice of Peace for the Middle East.
Years later, we meet again, at the Jalame checkpoint. And this time he takes us on a true adventure through his homeland, the Jenin region of the West Bank, in Palestine.
We drove along a road over 2000 years old, made by the Romans and walked by Jesus. The area is surrounded by olive trees just as old. The landscape is hilly, dry, and dotted with earthiness of olive trees.
Still working on Peace, this time through connecting the people to their land, their neighbors and the world. In the last 5 years , Nasser has built Canaan Fair Trade, a successful fair trade oil olive company, empowering, employing and giving hope to over 1700 Palestinian olive farmers.
His excitement permeated, as he showed us around his newly built (just finished this year) factory. A Beautiful building amongst the olive groves. He now has 40 employees and a top notch facility with the hopes of producing somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 liters of olive oil for export this year, amongst other products, like sun dried tomatoes and almonds.
It’s harvest season in the region and everyone is busy in the groves, picking olives by hand. Whacking the branches with a stick, the fruit falls onto a large sheet down below. They gather the olives from the sheet and take them to the factory to sell.
There are so many obstacles the Palestinian farmers face, including illegal land confiscation, limited access to water (due to the occupation by Israel), illegal settlements being built on their land and thus Palestinians being denied access to their own land.
Canaan Fair Trade has created a market for selling oil and now the farmers have a place to sell their olives, they can support their families and feel independent from the struggles they endure being under occupation. Canaan Fair Trade has also given the opportunity for the farmers to feel connected to the rest of the world, knowing their oil is being eaten by people across 11 countries.
We left the factory, but not before we ate fresh out of the press, olive oil mmmmmmmm with fresh bread mmmmmm….
Nasser wanted to show us one of his favorite spots, high up on Liqa’a Mountain, where you can see Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth, many small villages, and Israeli Settlements disrupting the flow in between. We took his four wheel drive truck up a dirt and stone mountain road, hopped out and looked at the countryside. Simply beautiful!
As we came down the other side, there were 3 women sitting in the shade taking a break from harvesting their olives, drinking tea. They invited us to join them. So, we did, drinking black tea steeped with wild sage and a bit of sugar. Quite refreshing.
We continued down the mountain and into Jenin for lunch in the market. And ended our day together at the farmers co-op, meeting farmers and some of the women who have their own thing going… making couscous, by hand, which soon will be in ALL the Williams and Sonoma stores.
For more on Canaan Fair Trade, click here, And there is a lot more going on, Eco-Tours, Palestinian home stays, olive harvest festival. Soon they are going to launch green track Palestine… converting falafel oil into fuel for the tractors being used by the farmers, and more… It’s so exciting!
From Jenin, we went to Zababdeh to visit Abuna Firas. Zababdeh is a small community of 4000. There is little hope here, no industry, nothing for the children to do, a very high unemployment rate. Abuna Firas is a Greek Melkite priest who is trying to help his community by creating jobs and empowering people.. A few years ago, he raised money and gave several sewing machines to women, who now are making clothing and are able to make a meager living as well as empower themselves by supporting their families. He has dreams of building a recreation center to give the children a place to play and gather, rather than roam in the streets. He just built a pre-school. He is doing good work amongst big struggles. Giving the people of his community hope!
click here to see a little more of what he is doing.
We ended our amazing day on the West Bank with a sense of peace, community and hope for the people who live here amongst great struggle.
Then it was back to the Jalame Checkpoint to go back into Israel.. That’s a story for another day.
West Bank, Palestine
October 31, 2010
Canaan Fair Trade
We walked out of the Israeli checkpoint and into Palestine, the waiting taxi drivers asked if we needed a ride. “No,” we said, “we are waiting for someone”.
“Who?” they ask, “Nasser Abufarha,” is our reply.
“Aaaa… Yes.” they say in unison.
I hadn’t seen Nasser in years, but knew him from living in Madison, as a restaurateur, a Phd student and a voice of Peace for the Middle East.
Years later, we meet again, at the Jalame checkpoint. And this time he takes us on a true adventure through his homeland, the Jenin region of the West Bank, in Palestine.
We drove along a road over 2000 years old, made by the Romans and walked by Jesus. The area is surrounded by olive trees just as old. The landscape is hilly, dry, and dotted with earthiness of olive trees.
Still working on Peace, this time through connecting the people to their land, their neighbors and the world. In the last 5 years , Nasser has built Canaan Fair Trade, a successful fair trade oil olive company, empowering, employing and giving hope to over 1700 Palestinian olive farmers.
His excitement permeated, as he showed us around his newly built (just finished this year) factory. A Beautiful building amongst the olive groves. He now has 40 employees and a top notch facility with the hopes of producing somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 liters of olive oil for export this year, amongst other products, like sun dried tomatoes and almonds.
It’s harvest season in the region and everyone is busy in the groves, picking olives by hand. Whacking the branches with a stick, the fruit falls onto a large sheet down below. They gather the olives from the sheet and take them to the factory to sell.
There are so many obstacles the Palestinian farmers face, including illegal land confiscation, limited access to water (due to the occupation by Israel), illegal settlements being built on their land and thus Palestinians being denied access to their own land.
Canaan Fair Trade has created a market for selling oil and now the farmers have a place to sell their olives, they can support their families and feel independent from the struggles they endure being under occupation. Canaan Fair Trade has also given the opportunity for the farmers to feel connected to the rest of the world, knowing their oil is being eaten by people across 11 countries.
We left the factory, but not before we ate fresh out of the press, olive oil mmmmmmmm with fresh bread mmmmmm….
Nasser wanted to show us one of his favorite spots, high up on Liqa’a Mountain, where you can see Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth, many small villages, and Israeli Settlements disrupting the flow in between. We took his four wheel drive truck up a dirt and stone mountain road, hopped out and looked at the countryside. Simply beautiful!
As we came down the other side, there were 3 women sitting in the shade taking a break from harvesting their olives, drinking tea. They invited us to join them. So, we did, drinking black tea steeped with wild sage and a bit of sugar. Quite refreshing.
We continued down the mountain and into Jenin for lunch in the market. And ended our day together at the farmers co-op, meeting farmers and some of the women who have their own thing going… making couscous, by hand, which soon will be in ALL the Williams and Sonoma stores.
For more on Canaan Fair Trade, click here, And there is a lot more going on, Eco-Tours, Palestinian home stays, olive harvest festival. Soon they are going to launch green track Palestine… converting falafel oil into fuel for the tractors being used by the farmers, and more… It’s so exciting!
From Jenin, we went to Zababdeh to visit Abuna Firas. Zababdeh is a small community of 4000. There is little hope here, no industry, nothing for the children to do, a very high unemployment rate. Abuna Firas is a Greek Melkite priest who is trying to help his community by creating jobs and empowering people.. A few years ago, he raised money and gave several sewing machines to women, who now are making clothing and are able to make a meager living as well as empower themselves by supporting their families. He has dreams of building a recreation center to give the children a place to play and gather, rather than roam in the streets. He just built a pre-school. He is doing good work amongst big struggles. Giving the people of his community hope!
click here to see a little more of what he is doing.
We ended our amazing day on the West Bank with a sense of peace, community and hope for the people who live here amongst great struggle.
Then it was back to the Jalame Checkpoint to go back into Israel.. That’s a story for another day.
Friday, October 29, 2010
A Jerusalem Story: smile on my face. coins in my hand.
Jerusalem
October 25, 2010
We only had an hour and a half and I was not in the mood for shopping.
We entered the old city through Damascus Gate on a mission to find old coins. Old coins to make jewelry with, old coins I find on my adventures around the world. It was a hot day, we had just left Bethlehem, made it through the Israeli checkpoint and like I said, I was not in the mood for shopping.
We made our way to one of the Stations of the Cross, part of Via Delarosa, otherwise known as antiquities row. There were many Christian Pilgrims walking through the small ancient street following the path of Jesus carrying the cross. I, was looking for a coin dealer. We wove our way through people and came across a shop with coins. I looked a bit and still just didn’t feel like shopping. Continuing along the street, we looked some more. It just didn’t feel right. So, we found a small Arabic café, we sat and ate hummus and falafel, read our books and suddenly large group of Christian pilgrims from Alabama joined us. I stared outside into the ancient surroundings and thought to myself, I have a 1000 blessings in my life, (as my 92 year old grandmother says)
Why at this moment, am I numb to this sacred surrounding? We were completely surrounded by people who had traveled half way around the world to come to the spot, the spot Jesus carried the cross from one part of Jerusalem to where he was going to be crucified, and all I could think about were coins and whether or not I felt like buying them.
Immediately becoming aware of this attitude, I shifted it and engaged, talking to my neighbors, listening to the stories of their pilgrimage and hearing the excitement in their voices. It was magical, quite magical!
We slowly finished and I told my dad, let’s go back to the shop, I think I’m ready to buy some coins….
And I did. 2000 year old Roman coins found beneath the ancient and spiritual city of Jerusalem, along with 1800 year old Greek coins and Byzantine coins all of which I plan on setting in gold to make earrings and pendants and rings…. And I bought an old Bedouin headdress, that I may or may not take the coins off to make into jewelry.
Dad looked at his watch and we had to go. We were meeting his childhood friend, he hadn’t seen her since 1981. So, like we entered, we left, weaving through the crowds of pilgrims. This time with a smile on my face, coins in my hand and happiness for all those who were on their sacred journey.
Thanks to my sister for the first two photos..
October 25, 2010
We only had an hour and a half and I was not in the mood for shopping.
We entered the old city through Damascus Gate on a mission to find old coins. Old coins to make jewelry with, old coins I find on my adventures around the world. It was a hot day, we had just left Bethlehem, made it through the Israeli checkpoint and like I said, I was not in the mood for shopping.
We made our way to one of the Stations of the Cross, part of Via Delarosa, otherwise known as antiquities row. There were many Christian Pilgrims walking through the small ancient street following the path of Jesus carrying the cross. I, was looking for a coin dealer. We wove our way through people and came across a shop with coins. I looked a bit and still just didn’t feel like shopping. Continuing along the street, we looked some more. It just didn’t feel right. So, we found a small Arabic café, we sat and ate hummus and falafel, read our books and suddenly large group of Christian pilgrims from Alabama joined us. I stared outside into the ancient surroundings and thought to myself, I have a 1000 blessings in my life, (as my 92 year old grandmother says)
Why at this moment, am I numb to this sacred surrounding? We were completely surrounded by people who had traveled half way around the world to come to the spot, the spot Jesus carried the cross from one part of Jerusalem to where he was going to be crucified, and all I could think about were coins and whether or not I felt like buying them.
Immediately becoming aware of this attitude, I shifted it and engaged, talking to my neighbors, listening to the stories of their pilgrimage and hearing the excitement in their voices. It was magical, quite magical!
We slowly finished and I told my dad, let’s go back to the shop, I think I’m ready to buy some coins….
And I did. 2000 year old Roman coins found beneath the ancient and spiritual city of Jerusalem, along with 1800 year old Greek coins and Byzantine coins all of which I plan on setting in gold to make earrings and pendants and rings…. And I bought an old Bedouin headdress, that I may or may not take the coins off to make into jewelry.
Dad looked at his watch and we had to go. We were meeting his childhood friend, he hadn’t seen her since 1981. So, like we entered, we left, weaving through the crowds of pilgrims. This time with a smile on my face, coins in my hand and happiness for all those who were on their sacred journey.
Thanks to my sister for the first two photos..
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The check point
West Bank, Palestine
The Check Point
October 25, 2010
Bethlehem to Jerusalem: 6 miles. It took us 1.5 hours.
We left the West Bank and it’s not a very fun experience. We had to take a taxi (along the segregation wall) to a check point, walk through a 50 to 60 yard uphill ramp, as if being herded like cattle, with a metal railing dividing the ‘arriving’ and the ‘departing’. And finally we arrived to the actual check point. A 19-20 year old Israeli military woman sitting alone in a metal shack, checked our American passports. Suddenly, for some reason, we were ‘in question’, so we had to wait…and wait…people were lining up behind us, also waiting, for us. She asked us questions, more people lined up behind us…She spoke to someone on a walky-talky. We all waited.
There are some people from Bethlehem who have passes and can go to the other side of the segregation wall. There are others who don’t and can’t have passes. Just normal everyday people, like you and me. They can’t leave! They can’t leave! Can you imagine? I just can’t get over how oppressive that is. They can’t leave their own village to the other side of the wall. A wall that was put up just a few years back, a wall of segregation, a wall that has separated families who can’t go back and forth to see each other. A wall built on cultivated Palestinian land, now rendered useless.
So, we waited and finally, after standing there, the girl gave us our passports. We had to walk across the street and again, walk through a ramp, this time a winding ramp. The 2 young military men were laughing, and joking over a loud speaker, as we gave them our passports. They started to sing the (American) national anthem. They were calling to and provoking the old Arab man in front of us. Over the loudspeaker, and echoing through the hall… So incredibly rude and although not the most humiliating thing they do, still, quite humiliating!
Again, we walked through a long winding hallway, not knowing where to go, it was quite confusing until we asked one man from Bethlehem. He pointed us in the ‘right’ direction, towards the x-ray machine, which we put our things through. We walked some more and again had to give our passports to 2 young military men. Again, they questioned us. So, many questions. Finally, they stopped asking questions, but just sat there with our passports and chatted with each other, not giving our passports back, to provoke us. After 5 to 10 minutes, they gave us our passports. We left the check point and got on a bus to Jerusalem. We arrived 1.5 hours after we left. It is 6 miles away!
Compared to many, our experience was quite easy. I can’t imagine the continued humiliation and oppression the residents of Bethlehem have to endure on a daily basis.
The Check Point
October 25, 2010
Bethlehem to Jerusalem: 6 miles. It took us 1.5 hours.
We left the West Bank and it’s not a very fun experience. We had to take a taxi (along the segregation wall) to a check point, walk through a 50 to 60 yard uphill ramp, as if being herded like cattle, with a metal railing dividing the ‘arriving’ and the ‘departing’. And finally we arrived to the actual check point. A 19-20 year old Israeli military woman sitting alone in a metal shack, checked our American passports. Suddenly, for some reason, we were ‘in question’, so we had to wait…and wait…people were lining up behind us, also waiting, for us. She asked us questions, more people lined up behind us…She spoke to someone on a walky-talky. We all waited.
There are some people from Bethlehem who have passes and can go to the other side of the segregation wall. There are others who don’t and can’t have passes. Just normal everyday people, like you and me. They can’t leave! They can’t leave! Can you imagine? I just can’t get over how oppressive that is. They can’t leave their own village to the other side of the wall. A wall that was put up just a few years back, a wall of segregation, a wall that has separated families who can’t go back and forth to see each other. A wall built on cultivated Palestinian land, now rendered useless.
So, we waited and finally, after standing there, the girl gave us our passports. We had to walk across the street and again, walk through a ramp, this time a winding ramp. The 2 young military men were laughing, and joking over a loud speaker, as we gave them our passports. They started to sing the (American) national anthem. They were calling to and provoking the old Arab man in front of us. Over the loudspeaker, and echoing through the hall… So incredibly rude and although not the most humiliating thing they do, still, quite humiliating!
Again, we walked through a long winding hallway, not knowing where to go, it was quite confusing until we asked one man from Bethlehem. He pointed us in the ‘right’ direction, towards the x-ray machine, which we put our things through. We walked some more and again had to give our passports to 2 young military men. Again, they questioned us. So, many questions. Finally, they stopped asking questions, but just sat there with our passports and chatted with each other, not giving our passports back, to provoke us. After 5 to 10 minutes, they gave us our passports. We left the check point and got on a bus to Jerusalem. We arrived 1.5 hours after we left. It is 6 miles away!
Compared to many, our experience was quite easy. I can’t imagine the continued humiliation and oppression the residents of Bethlehem have to endure on a daily basis.
Monday, October 25, 2010
West Bank, Palestine; my amazing experience
Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine
October 24, 2010
It’s 3am. I can’t sleep.
Did you know Bethlehem is surrounded (on 3 sides) by a 27 foot tall segregation wall? Not a wall of choice, a wall put up by the Israeli’s. A wall imprisoning the Palestinians from the rest of the world. Trapped in the city of peace where Jesus was born. Trapped without hope. Trapped with fear.
Can you imagine trying to leave your own city, only to be rejected because the people surrounding your city, decided that day, they didn’t want to let you leave, just because they can? This happens on a moment to moment basis, even when people are just trying to visit their family on the other side of the wall. The wall the Israeli's decided to put up between your two homes, on your land. Seriously, take a minute to imagine this….
Did you know that Bethlehem has a 38% unemployment rate? No, it’s not because the people here are lazy. It’s due to their complete oppression and ‘imprisonment’.
In the United States, we hear, mostly negative news about Palestinians.
I would like to tell you something positive, from the bathroom floor of my hotel room. It’s 3am, I can’t sleep and I didn't want to wake my dad in the other room
First of all, many of you don’t know this, but I am Palestinian-American, my father moved to the US many years ago. I was born and raised in Middle America, but my heritage is important to me. And I have always felt connected to Palestine.
Last June, I was visiting my family in Wisconsin. During that visit, I attended a talk by a man name Rev. Mitri Raheb from Bethlehem, Palestine. He spoke of the school, he has envisioned and built with the help of others. A school of hope amongst rubble and oppression. A school focusing on culture and the arts.
I thought to myself, no one is doing this. No one is focusing on the arts in the time of conflict. I love it!
When people are struggling just to survive, the arts can get pushed aside, but those of us, who are artists, need to express ourselves through art.
Arabic culture has a long and strong and important history of arts, music, visual art, poetry etc. Since 1948 when the Zionists took over this beautiful land and Palestinians were forced out of their homes, separated from their families, Palestinian art has diminished. This ongoing diaspora of the Palestinians has left the people without many necessities and thus the artistic culture of the people has dwindled.
When Mitri spoke to us in Madison, I met him and he invited me to give a talk to the students at his school in the West Bank, Palestine. I liked the idea, thought about it and put that thought in the back of my head.
Then, about a month ago, I decided to join my father on his journey to visit family (who live within Israel, and are known as Israeli Arabs politically, but are Palestinians culturally).
I told him, I wanted to visit places of peace within a land of struggle. So, he contacted Mitri and told him we were coming and, again, he asked me to speak to the students here.
Diyar is a consortium of many things, one of which is their school focusing on the arts. Teaching tradition, yet giving them the freedom of their creative minds to expand on the ideas.
They have a ceramics program, a jewelry program, glass, mosaic, music, documentary film making, performing arts, fine arts, graphic design, communications, Tourism management and more. It is a two year community college and like I said earlier, no one is doing this. It is an amazing place, with great teachers and wonderful students. I am completely impressed. They are empowering young people (especially young girls) with the freedom of mind, the creative mind. Guiding them with the power of artistic thought..
We arrived a couple of days ago, the school is in a beautiful old building, which was and still is a part of the Lutheran church, but the space has been transformed into an artistic oasis. Old arched ceilings, old stone walls, intermingled with modern architecture, glass and outdoor areas, which were filled with students playing music, studying and talking. This place also has a café and a bar, it has a gift shop, a guesthouse, an amazing gallery in a cave…It is quite remarkable and creates a beautiful aesthetic environment for artists. It’s even more remarkable because of the occupation they live under.
Yesterday, I gave a presentation of my work and my approach to it, about 30 students and teachers were there. It was a lively 2 hours, the students asked a plethora of really good and hard questions, they were critically thinking about what they had seen in the slide show. It was an amazing experience for me. I hope the students were inspired too.
You have to remember, most of these college age students have never had the opportunity to take an art class before. This approach is unlike any other they have ever experienced and they are supported and encouraged by their teachers to continue on. They are continually exposed to the outside world, by bringing the outside in. They are literally surrounded by a wall and illegal settlements and it is very very difficult and sometimes not possible to leave. Remember, the unemployment rate in the area is 38%, well the students who graduate from here more than halved that. And to me, that is impressive and a great success. The arts can keep them alive, channeling their fear and anger into something productive and creative!
I am inspired to come back again one day. It is truly a place of peace and creative energy, amongst mass oppression.
For more on the school please look here. www.diyar.ps
October 24, 2010
It’s 3am. I can’t sleep.
Did you know Bethlehem is surrounded (on 3 sides) by a 27 foot tall segregation wall? Not a wall of choice, a wall put up by the Israeli’s. A wall imprisoning the Palestinians from the rest of the world. Trapped in the city of peace where Jesus was born. Trapped without hope. Trapped with fear.
Can you imagine trying to leave your own city, only to be rejected because the people surrounding your city, decided that day, they didn’t want to let you leave, just because they can? This happens on a moment to moment basis, even when people are just trying to visit their family on the other side of the wall. The wall the Israeli's decided to put up between your two homes, on your land. Seriously, take a minute to imagine this….
Did you know that Bethlehem has a 38% unemployment rate? No, it’s not because the people here are lazy. It’s due to their complete oppression and ‘imprisonment’.
In the United States, we hear, mostly negative news about Palestinians.
I would like to tell you something positive, from the bathroom floor of my hotel room. It’s 3am, I can’t sleep and I didn't want to wake my dad in the other room
First of all, many of you don’t know this, but I am Palestinian-American, my father moved to the US many years ago. I was born and raised in Middle America, but my heritage is important to me. And I have always felt connected to Palestine.
Last June, I was visiting my family in Wisconsin. During that visit, I attended a talk by a man name Rev. Mitri Raheb from Bethlehem, Palestine. He spoke of the school, he has envisioned and built with the help of others. A school of hope amongst rubble and oppression. A school focusing on culture and the arts.
I thought to myself, no one is doing this. No one is focusing on the arts in the time of conflict. I love it!
When people are struggling just to survive, the arts can get pushed aside, but those of us, who are artists, need to express ourselves through art.
Arabic culture has a long and strong and important history of arts, music, visual art, poetry etc. Since 1948 when the Zionists took over this beautiful land and Palestinians were forced out of their homes, separated from their families, Palestinian art has diminished. This ongoing diaspora of the Palestinians has left the people without many necessities and thus the artistic culture of the people has dwindled.
When Mitri spoke to us in Madison, I met him and he invited me to give a talk to the students at his school in the West Bank, Palestine. I liked the idea, thought about it and put that thought in the back of my head.
Then, about a month ago, I decided to join my father on his journey to visit family (who live within Israel, and are known as Israeli Arabs politically, but are Palestinians culturally).
I told him, I wanted to visit places of peace within a land of struggle. So, he contacted Mitri and told him we were coming and, again, he asked me to speak to the students here.
Diyar is a consortium of many things, one of which is their school focusing on the arts. Teaching tradition, yet giving them the freedom of their creative minds to expand on the ideas.
They have a ceramics program, a jewelry program, glass, mosaic, music, documentary film making, performing arts, fine arts, graphic design, communications, Tourism management and more. It is a two year community college and like I said earlier, no one is doing this. It is an amazing place, with great teachers and wonderful students. I am completely impressed. They are empowering young people (especially young girls) with the freedom of mind, the creative mind. Guiding them with the power of artistic thought..
We arrived a couple of days ago, the school is in a beautiful old building, which was and still is a part of the Lutheran church, but the space has been transformed into an artistic oasis. Old arched ceilings, old stone walls, intermingled with modern architecture, glass and outdoor areas, which were filled with students playing music, studying and talking. This place also has a café and a bar, it has a gift shop, a guesthouse, an amazing gallery in a cave…It is quite remarkable and creates a beautiful aesthetic environment for artists. It’s even more remarkable because of the occupation they live under.
Yesterday, I gave a presentation of my work and my approach to it, about 30 students and teachers were there. It was a lively 2 hours, the students asked a plethora of really good and hard questions, they were critically thinking about what they had seen in the slide show. It was an amazing experience for me. I hope the students were inspired too.
You have to remember, most of these college age students have never had the opportunity to take an art class before. This approach is unlike any other they have ever experienced and they are supported and encouraged by their teachers to continue on. They are continually exposed to the outside world, by bringing the outside in. They are literally surrounded by a wall and illegal settlements and it is very very difficult and sometimes not possible to leave. Remember, the unemployment rate in the area is 38%, well the students who graduate from here more than halved that. And to me, that is impressive and a great success. The arts can keep them alive, channeling their fear and anger into something productive and creative!
I am inspired to come back again one day. It is truly a place of peace and creative energy, amongst mass oppression.
For more on the school please look here. www.diyar.ps
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Thank you New Orleans!
NOLA was/is just one of those places that I felt immediately comfortable. Things just worked out, and not just that, there were amazing coincidences.
I think I told you I ran into a childhood friend on the plane down to New Orleans… Well, it turns out her sis was getting married in New Orleans. They told me to come. Steven had flown home that day, and I had no plans. So, I crashed the wedding. It was so much fun to dance and talk to and see a whole bunch of people from the little Wisconsin town I grew up in… So. Much. Fun.
I also attended a yoga workshop while in NOLA. I know. It’s not what you do when you go to New Orleans, but it is what I did and I enjoyed it. I met an amazing woman who then, drove me back to my hotel, all the way on the other side of the city and then the next day, Sunday, the day I was flying, she drove me back to her house after the workshop. We sat in her garden and talked ate and I met her family and then she took me to the airport. I’m not actually doing this story justice, because it was a very special experience, but I just want to tell you how much I love New Orleans and it’s people. So open, kind and generous.
I got to the airport a bit early with the idea, I would make some phone calls before I left the country. But instead everyone at the gate wanted to talk. I love it! Seriously. The guy to the right of me, saw my guitar and wanted me to play, but..um… no…. Then, his whole family was talking to me to about music and books and travel. The woman to my left just wanted to tell me all about her mother and what an amazing musician she is and she was on Letterman and her dad died 10 days after her 40th birthday and then suddenly we had to switch gates, get on the plane and fly far far away.
New Orleans is definitely one of those places, I will return to again and again and can’t believe it was my first time.
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