An art collection and archive to honor assassinated Iraqi academics will be showing at Artists’ Alley as part of the Boneyard Arts Festival. Shadow and Light: Honoring Iraqi Academics, Photographs of Witness, Memory, and Solidarity memorializes those who were assassinated between 2003-2012, years that roughly parallel the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The Shadow and Light Project was compiled by San Francisco Bay area poet and activist Beau Beausoleil. The collection is made up of photographs and personal narratives submitted by participants from around the world and pieced together from news sources. In a statement written by Beausoleil, Mona Damluji, and Heather Hughes, they estimate that more than 700 academics were killed during this time frame, with the victims representing diverse fields of study including art, literature, law, agriculture, biology, and even the study of bees.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 13th at 5 p.m., and will feature a discussion on academic freedom led by University of Illinois Professor Carol Tilley, as well as a pre-recorded interview with Beausoleil and two other participating artists. More information about the show can be found on the McKinley Church & Foundation’s event page.
Shadow and Light: Honoring Iraqi Academics
Artists’ Alley
410 E Daniel St
Champaign
Apr 4 to Jun 2
9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
Reception: Th, Apr 13th, 5 to 7 p.m.