For Immediate Release
Boston – On Saturday evening, Sep. 5, at the Atlantic Works Gallery in East Boston, local artists Elizabeth Hathaway and Joan Ryan, and Cambridge-based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) unveil a new exhibition titled "Make Believe," a multi-media response to the effects of war on women and children in Darfur.
Through paintings, photographs and video the artists and the human rights group have teamed up to explore the unfolding tragedy in Darfur and the relentless toll sexual crimes are having on Darfuri women in refugee camps in neighboring Chad.
The artworks of Hathaway and Ryan explore the "whitewash of history where children are the hidden victims". By pairing with PHR the artists say they "hope to go beyond opening a dialogue on the victims of war and directly help women and child victims" by joining forces with a human rights group that is actively involved in the continuing crisis in western Sudan.
As part of this exciting show, PHR is unveiling a series of vivid and dramatic photographs, including images taken by volunteer doctors and human rights experts who travelled to refugee camps in eastern Chad last November. There, they interviewed more than 85 women who were raped in the camps or in Darfur. The victims' stories are documented in a wide-ranging report released in May by PHR called "Nowhere to Turn: Failure to Protect, Support and Assure Justice for Darfuri Women."
On opening night, PHR staff and supporters will be in attendance to discuss the long-term effects and fresh evidence of the ongoing violence against women and children of Darfur. Visitors can further explore PHR's work through a video and slide show display.
We invite you to come out to meet two of Boston's "activist artists", discover their work, and learn more about the campaigns and investigations being carried out by Physicians for Human Rights. A portion of funds raised from "Make Believe" will be donated to the on-going work of PHR.
- Venue: Atlantic Works Gallery, 80 Border Street, 3rd Floor, East Boston
- Opening Reception: Saturday, September 5, 2009
- Time: 5-8 p.m.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.