“Eyes Wide Open,” a traveling memorial commemorating U.S. military and civilian deaths from the Iraq war, will come to Lane County Fairgrounds’ Wheeler Pavilion on Sunday and Monday. The exhibit is hosted by the American Friends
Service Committee, a Quaker organization that works for issues of social justice.
The exhibit features more than 2,000 boots and shoes that represent military and civilian casualties, a 32-foot wall of names and incidents of Iraqi civilian deaths, and a multimedia display.
AFSC Northwest Regional Director Susan Segall said the response to the exhibit has generally been one of solemnity and mourning.
“As you look at these boots, you’re compelled to imagine the people that stood in them,”
she said.
The boots were purchased or donated from military surplus stores, though some of the boots came from military families who lost loved ones. Families also donated personal effects and memorabilia to commemorate their loved ones.
Helen Park, a Quaker and the exhibit’s local coordinator, said the exhibit is not meant to be political.
“The purpose of the exhibit, in my mind, is to bring together people from all sides of the political spectrum, whether they support or oppose the war,” Park said. “Everyone can respect the enormous sacrifice of these precious lives, honor their commitment and mourn their loss.”
The exhibit is free and will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday.
— Moriah Balingit