Tibetan Quilts Attracts 500+ in Oakland
TIBETAN MEMORIAL QUILT EXHIBIT OPENING IS A HUGE SUCCESS
Over 500 people viewed the Tibetan Memorial Quilt exhibit on its opening night on Friday, August 7, 2010 in down town Oakland. The exhibit opened at the Rock, Paper, Scissors Collective gallery, which is a part of a cluster of modern art galleries on 23rd Street and Telegraph in Oakland. On every first Friday night of each month the galleries host new exhibits as part of a festival called ART MURMUR that attracts several thousand viewers to the various galleries and street artists. Last night was no exception. Visitors began trickling in two hours prior to the opening shows and grew to an endless stream of viewers curious to see the Tibetan memorial quilts. The three-hour opening night exhibit was tearing-at-the-seams with people!
The vibrant colors of the quilts, the hand stitched panels for Tibet’s late s/heros and the beautiful way they were assembled drew people into the exhibit. Most of the visitors of ART MURMUR and the exhibits were young to middle-age adults of all social and cultural backgrounds. Many were clearly interested in community-based art as a form of social change. Many of the viewers coming into RPS Collective to view the Tibetan memorial quilts had had little if any exposure to the issue of Tibet. Many of them were visibly moved by the quilts. Some asked why so many young people had died in Tibet and what the situation in Tibet is like that is leading to so many deaths. Many commented on how powerful these hand made quilts are and signed up to join the Friends of TANC mailing list to learn more about TANC and the quilt project.
To say the least, last night’s opening of the Tibetan memorial quilts reached an audience that was largely new to Tibet and TANC, which is precisely one of the purposes of the project. For those of us from TANC who attended the opening night, the vision of the Tibetan memorial quilts raising curiosity and awareness about Tibet among an entirely new crowd of potential supporters became a reality. Moreover, many 100s of people admired and applauded the hard and handy work done on the quilts. We wished you were there particularly those of you who contributed actively by sewing the panels and assembling the quilts.
A big ‘thank you’ for the quilts goes to the Bay Area Tibetan community members who had a hand (literally) in making of the 16 quilts completed so far. Special ‘thank you’ to the members of the TMQP committee members, particularly Lindsay Kelly who introduced TANC to RPS Collective and secured this wonderful venue for the exhibit. Finally, a big ‘thank you’ to RPS Collective team of volunteers, particularly Jen Zoom, who dared to host the quilts and in doing so, helped TANC spark interest in Tibet among a whole new host of people.
This exhibit is the first time RPS Collective has hosted a Tibet-related show. The atmosphere last night was eclectic, exciting and engaging!
SPECIAL CRAFT NIGHT (group sewing) – THURSDAY August 12, 6:00 pm
EXHIBITION OPEN TILL AUGUST 27, 2010
WHERE: 2278 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA 94612 Tel: 510.238.9171
Daily Hours: 12 – 7pm, Wednesday – Sunday.
CLOSED: Monday and Tuesday.
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS Collective is a volunteer-run organization that fosters creativity and collaboration in order to strengthen local communities and encourage sustainable practices and alternative models. RPS Collective promotes the sharing of ideas, skills, and resources through the celebration of art, craft, education, and performance.
Website:http://rpscollective.com/
photo credits: www.yowangdu.com
Click here for more images.
TANC is doing a great political service to Tibet and Tibetan martyrs by launching the Quilt making project.It can create awareness of Tibet issue like a wildfire.
It is very moving to see the name display on the quilts.It’s powerful in its message as seeing is believing.It immortalizes the Tibetan people who died for Tibet cause, and revitalize Tibetan determination in those left behind.
Thank you to all the Board members and memberships for this unique project for Tibetan Diaspora.