Thursday, May 9, 6:30 - 8:00 PM - in person @ The Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton, Massachusetts

Opening Reception for Skip Schiel

Note from the NENJP Calendar - This event is being posted earlier than the usual chronological order for 2 reasons. 1. The exhibit is open from May 2 - May 30, and 2. There is growing backlash from the Newton community, including Mayor Fuller, with calls to shut it down and urgent support is needed. Learn how to support this exhibit here: Action Items for Newton Library Exhibit - Google Docs

Skip Schiel has entitled his art exhibit “The Ongoing & Relentless Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe of 1948 to Today.” In describing the exhibit, Skip provides the following in his own words: “To form its new state in 1948, Israel expelled some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in what is now Israel—the Nakba or Palestinian Catastrophe. During 2018 and 2019, I met many of the refugees now often living in refugee camps in the Occupied West Bank of Palestine, and interviewed and photographed them. When possible, I returned to their ancestral homes to photograph fields, ruins, and Israeli parks and communities built on those lands.”

Artist provided biography: Skip Schiel is a long-term Quaker blended with Buddhism from a Catholic background, a conscientious objector during the American War on Vietnam, and a father of two daughters and grandfather of 3 teen-aged grandchildren. He is also a socially engaged, participatory photographer, filmmaker, and blogger engaging in struggles for justice, peace, compassionate treatment of the environment, and enlightenment. His main current projects include an examination of conditions in Palestine and Israel ("The Ongoing & Relentless Nakba") and actions to address the climate emergency, mainly working with Extinction Rebellion. During the COVID pandemic, he explored Boston area rivers, coastal regions, and urban districts by bicycle, photographing and filming what pricked his eye—"A Chronicle of My Life During the COVID Crisis."

Refreshments will be served.
Opening Reception for Skip Schiel - LibCal - Newton Free Library

Additional resources: The ongoing and relentless nakba: end of year update (2021) – Skip Schiel & Teeksa Photography (wordpress.com), & The Ongoing and Relentless Nakba (FCPX) (youtube.com) (a 25-minute overview)