Exhibit gives voice to those silenced in Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

Published September 05 2010
Exhibit gives voice to those silenced in Colombia

A quilt, made by a mother whose daughters were abducted by the paramilitary, features pieces of fabric from their clothing. It is part of “Remember Me: Voices of the Silenced in Colombia,” which will be on display through Sept. 12 at Peace United Church of Christ in Duluth.

By: Christa Lawler , Duluth News Tribune

The drawing — seemingly created by a child — is finished in all black, with stick people bodies splayed across paths and near square houses. There are red splatters, and a cross with the word “familia” written vertically down the base.

A quilt, made by a mother whose daughters were abducted by the paramilitary, features pieces of fabric from their clothing: denim, floral patches, swatches with buttons and zippers. These are part of “Remember Me: Voices of the Silenced in Colombia,” a traveling exhibition to bring awareness to the violence in Colombia, where 70,000 people have been killed and 4 million have been displaced in 50 years of unrest. It will be on display through Sept. 12 in the foyer and narthex at Peace United Church of Christ, 1111 N. 11th Ave. E., and will be shown at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, the College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota Duluth, before ending up at First Lutheran Church at the end of November.

The art comes from Colombia and was made or inspired by victims and their families. Some of the pieces included are by children, who created drawings — some lurid, with smiley-faced gunmen and dead bodies — as art therapy.

Lyn Pegg, a member of Peace Church and the organization Witness for Peace, said she believes most Americans associate the violence in Colombia with the drug trade, but they don’t realize there has been an internal civil war going on for decades.

“We really want people feeling in their hearts the conditions the everyday people are living,” she said. “They are affected by political and economical violence.”

On Friday, Lyn and John Pegg led a small group through the seven pieces of the exhibit, and spoke about the political climate: the displaced people, the violence witnessed by children and the U.S.’s involvement.

More:
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/178104/