The In Times of War art show Saturday night brought a crowd of Athens residents and Ohio University students alike to The Wire, 21 Kern St.
I've never seen this many people at The Wire
said one of the organizers, Cat Cutcher, as kids chased each other through the legs of those viewing the displays.
The night began with a presentation from the students of Lindy Kehoe's children's art class. The students displayed a collage they had created portraying what war meant to them.
Then, they brought out buckets of mud, grabbed large chunks of it with their fists and flung it at the display. Tony Beres, a member of the band Forealious, played a debauched version of the National Anthem as the kids covered their collage with soil and embedded it with seeds.
What better way to celebrate what you believe in than with art? Kehoe said.
The presentation set the mood for the night, as those in attendance ambled among rooms filled with documentary material and anti-war art. Musicians and poets performed anti-war pieces. Akil Houston spun hip-hop records to kick off a late night dance party that lasted until 2 a.m.
Athens resident Tessa Evanosky and OU specialized studies major Roger Hill had been preparing for the night for three months. Evanosky said the art had been compiled from various local artists and was not limited to only the war in Iraq.
People tend to forget with all the things going on in Iraq what other wars are being fought
she said.
Displays ranged from photos of protests to Passion Works-provided conceptions of the White House. A giant Statue of Liberty holding a television screen greeted guests as they entered. A sculpted foamboard depiction of Sept. 11, 2001, stood near a piece titled Georgie's Wet Dreams that showed a nude President Bush, with a face twisted in ecstasy, ejaculating from his phallic oil rig.
The controversial art exhibit The Art of War: The effects of war on art making was on display. The exhibit was removed from Alden Library last fall after OU faculty members and others complained it was distasteful, but was later returned to display.
Malcolm Meyer, one of the night's performers and a volunteer at The Wire, said it was important for people to become knowledgeable about all sides of war.
The display we (had) tonight portrays a view maybe you wouldn't see anywhere else -especially anywhere in the mainstream media
Meyer said.
Half of the evening's proceeds went toward The Wire, and
the other half will fund Roger Hill's new public access show Left Out.
The night was incredibly successful and brought in about $500 in proceeds, Hill said. The event cost $2-5, depending on how much patrons were willing to give.
The In Times of War art exhibit will be on display the rest of the week at The Wire. The exhibit will be shown again in April at Stuart's Opera House. Left Out premiers Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on Channel 23.
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Attendees of The Wire's In Times of War art exhibit view a display created by Lindy Kehoe's student art class. In Times of War raised about $500 for The Wire and featured a variety of local art.
