ZaPow hosts art show in support of immigrant children through Aug. 4

Press release from ZaPow:

How did regular Germans stand by as Jews were shipped off to concentration camp? I am heartbroken to know the answer. An overwhelming feeling of powerlessness and loss is how you go on with your daily life in the face of other people’s hardship.

The U.S. Federal government is housing humans in cages. The Department of Homeland Security’s own inspector general has stated that in some facilities people are packed into rooms so small that they don’t have space to sit or lie down, children have been ripped from their parents arms, stored in kennels like dogs at the pound. These and more horrors are occurring in our country daily.

#NeverAgainIsNow. On July 1, hundreds of Jewish protesters blocked the road to a migrant detention center in New Jersey. They held signs that read “Never Again For Anyone” and “Jews demand freedom for Immigrants.”

On June 26, the gentle force for good in the world that is Highlights Magazine took a stand for the humane treatment of children. Highlights CEO Kent Johnson implores us to “elevate the inalienable right of children to feel safe and to have the opportunity to become their best selves.” He goes on to suggest that we do this by “speaking out against family separation and to call for more humane treatment of immigrant children currently being held in detention facilities. Write, call, or email your government representatives.”

I do not want to be that ordinary person who stands by and does nothing in the face of the suffering of others. In talking with friends I find that many of us feel helpless and at a loss to affect actual change.

Here is what I can offer the problem: a public space where we can meet and walls where we can exhibit and sell art.

So, if you are horrified by the actions of ICE and the treatment of immigrants at the border, join me at ZaPow, make some art, buy some art, or write to your representative. We will provide postcards and donate 100% of the proceeds of the art sales to RAICES, a nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees.

Sharing horrifying stories about the treatment of immigrants on social media likely won’t do much to help. Taking action to help fund the legal defense of refugees and immigrants will. Making your voice heard by our elected leaders may.

Join our art installation/exhibition and letter writing event at ZaPow from 4-8pm on Sunday, July 21. We will keep the show up until Aug. 4. I want to reach across cultural, political, religious and economic boundaries. As Highlights CEO Kent Johnson pointed out, the humane treatment of all children and families is not a political statement. It is an issue of human decency.

A Crime By Any Name; Sheep & Goats
Art installation/exhibition & Letter Writing event
WHEN: Sunday July 21, 4-8 p.m. (Show comes down on Aug. 4.)
WHAT: Bring your art (see art prompt below), write your representatives, buy some art. All proceeds from this show go to raicestexas.org. Take a stand with your community against child & family cruelty
WHO can participate: Everyone. This is not limited to member artists. You must be able to bring your art to ZaPow by the appointed day and time, and you must be able to retrieve your art on Aug. 4 if it does not sell.

ART PROMPT:
A Crime By Any Name; Sheep & Goats
We invite artists to create art inspired by the article by Adam Serwer, A Crime by Any Name, or by the biblical passage Matthew 25:31-46, often titled “The Sheep and The Goats.”

MUSICIANS:
If you are a musician, and would like to donate your time to perform during our “A Crime By Any Name; Sheep & Goats” event to help take a stand against inhumane treatment of immigrants in America, email Lauren@zapow.com.