During the Vietnam War, The New Zone art collective hosted an anti-war exhibit to give community members an alternative way of showing their opposition to the fighting. Thirty years later, the group is once again providing a space for creative anti-war activism.
A group art show entitled “No War” will have its opening Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The New Zone art space, located at 1 E. Broadway.
The free event will include a puppet show about the pending war on Iraq by Vermont puppet company The Insurrectionary Landscapers. Interactive exhibits and video installations will also be part of the entertainment.
Eugene do-it-yourself arts venue My House, along with several other student and community groups, will host the event, which was conceived by Marc Moscato, one of the My House coordinators.
Moscato said “No War” is intended to encourage discussion surrounding President Bush’s actions abroad.
“We’re trying to provide creative opposition to what’s going on,” Moscato said. “In a country our size, you feel kind of powerless. I can’t stop the war, but I can put on an art show to create a dialogue.”
My House, located at 1136 W. Fifth Ave., has gathered submissions for the show throughout the past month, and today is the last day artists can turn pieces in at My House or the Survival Center in the EMU. Moscato said exhibit visitors can expect to see a wide variety of work, ranging from more graphic pieces to abstract ones.
“There are collages and sculptures,” Moscato said. “I was impressed by the variety of work collected.”
Artist Jarrett Arnold’s work will appear in the show.
“I happened to have already painted the pieces, and it seemed perfect to display them there,” Arnold said. “I hope the show gets people to more strongly feel that war is not a good idea and have more sympathy for fellow human beings.”
During the opening, there will be a place for “procrastinator artists” to put their creative juices to work using donated art supplies.
Art major Carly Boyer helped organize the show. She said she felt the anti-war message is especially compelling when expressed through art.
“Art is a really powerful statement,” Boyer said. “(The opening) will be very strong, just as strong as any protest.”
Organizers of the opening and month-long exhibit said the show is not about passively looking at art; it is about using art to engage the community and provide a platform for creative activism.
“Art has the power to change lives and empower people,” Moscato said. “You feel powerless over the laws that govern all these decisions over our lives. I think people are sick of being fed messages by mainstream media. Art empowers you to create your own message.”