INTERNATIONAL VISION CONTINUED - International Art Projects - somewhat in the works
A strange Coincidence ??? I think not!
So for years now I have not known what to do with information that I had learned from my meeting with the Iraqi people. One thing I seemed to have been tasked with was to find a publisher for a book featuring photographs that the art center director said he had access. These photos were of great artistic treasures that had been looted from their museum during the U.S. occupation in 1993. I have thought about this for so many years that I almost feel like I failed them by not pursing to much. Why me Lord?
One day last year I "Friended" someone i knew from my childhood of growing up on Bank Street in Bridgewater VA. I only knew that he was a professional sports writer. Over a few months of occasionally seeing his posts there was one that popped up on Peter's Facebook page that really woke me up. I share it with you below. This was very interesting indeed. I finally saw the movie with my wife in the comfort of my home. After seeing it my mind was a spiraling. I immediately had to write Peter as my wife went to bed. Those messages are below. I share these with you because... well.... it's pretty wild. Now to make something happen for the Iraqi people using the arts to bring us together and to repair their culture - Somehow!
One day last year I "Friended" someone i knew from my childhood of growing up on Bank Street in Bridgewater VA. I only knew that he was a professional sports writer. Over a few months of occasionally seeing his posts there was one that popped up on Peter's Facebook page that really woke me up. I share it with you below. This was very interesting indeed. I finally saw the movie with my wife in the comfort of my home. After seeing it my mind was a spiraling. I immediately had to write Peter as my wife went to bed. Those messages are below. I share these with you because... well.... it's pretty wild. Now to make something happen for the Iraqi people using the arts to bring us together and to repair their culture - Somehow!
5/24, 11:14pm David Heatwole wrote:
Hello Peter. My wife and I finally saw Monument Men and the entire time my mind is reeling with a true story I would like to share with you. Maybe, for once someone else will have something to say about it and not just let it be an interesting story. A number of years ago I was publishing an arts publication called The Main ARTery. It was during the time when we were occupying Bahgdad that I was invited to meet with a group of Iraqi arts leaders who were visiting America on an unpublicized tour put on by our state department. I was really honored and surprised to have the opportunity to meet and speak with them for it was a little odd to me that they would visit our small area of West Virginia and then go out to Hollywood as well as a number of our great art museums, theatres and so on. After my talk with them was when the magic happened. I was approached by three of these individuals who spoke broken english. They had some things to tell me that were so surprising that honestly I realized that I was the only person out of all the places that they would be visiting that they would most like share these things with. A few days later with the help and blessing of the state dept I flew alone to Los Angeles for the first time ever and met with these three folks again. I learned a little more of their stories and came back home with a lot of excitement and energy but kept hitting blank walls when talking to other arts folks here in WV. I wrote a little about my visit with them in my publication that was circulated to a 4 state area and still no response. One of the things I learned was that one of my new art collegues who was in charge of the only existing art center in Bahgdad knew a professor that had photos of many items once in their main museum that had been ransacked. He asked me if I knew anyone that could publish a book about it. Years I thought about this to no avail and I wondered why me? Pete? Why you and your company?
Why did I meet a controversial professional ballerina, daughter of the head of finance for Iraq, who in her last performance in her country went to receive a gift at the back door of the play house only to open a box with the head of her younger brother in it? Why was I the only American at that time to know of this story and was also tasked to help her find a performance place and then months later when I couldn't find her received a call from a stranger in Michigan interpreting a message from her to me that she had "defected" to America and that her male partner, that I met and spent time with, stole all of her money and was in Georgia also defecting. I still shake my head at all of this and wonder is the story for real? Has it been told yet? who will one day tell this story?
I had a dream of doing an exchange art exhibit with my friend at the art center he was very interested as well. We talked about doing an art installation in his war torn country one like the mazes I've lead communities in creating. See a few here: http://www.artscollaborative.org/pages/commcoll/commcoll.htm Community Collaborations www.artscollaborative.org What is an “Umbrella Offering”? An Umbrella Offering is the term used by the Transcendental Arts Council to describe a unified effort of giving, on a large scale, in the form of a project (ie work of art.) Each of these large projects are designed to unite people who are interested in giving of thei… David Heatwole
5/24, 11:15pm David Heatwole wrote: Another interesting story alone would be how old childhood neighbors did something together to bring this story to light. A thought maybe worth pondering. I would be interested in your thoughts.
5/25, 8:52am Peter McGuigan wrote: Hey David - I'm somewhat familiar with the looting in Iraq because Robert Edsel - author of Monuments Men - has a foundation for the preservation of art. He always looks for ways to draw a connection between what Eisenhower did for art at the end of WWII and contemporary situations like the one you describe, or Libya, and so on. Maybe I could put you in touch with Robert to see if there's a way to work with the foundation?
5/25, 9:33am David Heatwole wrote: that sounds good thanks meanwhile i will drum up all my contact info and see if i can make contact. The Iraqi looting was pretty big news at the time but apparently after news died down not much else happened with it really not sure now. Thanks again.
5/25, 3:42pm Peter McGuigan wrote: Check out the monuments men foundation for the preservation of art. Robert Edsel just spoke at Bridgewater College too weirdly
5/25, 3:55pm David Heatwole wow that is wild!
Hello Peter. My wife and I finally saw Monument Men and the entire time my mind is reeling with a true story I would like to share with you. Maybe, for once someone else will have something to say about it and not just let it be an interesting story. A number of years ago I was publishing an arts publication called The Main ARTery. It was during the time when we were occupying Bahgdad that I was invited to meet with a group of Iraqi arts leaders who were visiting America on an unpublicized tour put on by our state department. I was really honored and surprised to have the opportunity to meet and speak with them for it was a little odd to me that they would visit our small area of West Virginia and then go out to Hollywood as well as a number of our great art museums, theatres and so on. After my talk with them was when the magic happened. I was approached by three of these individuals who spoke broken english. They had some things to tell me that were so surprising that honestly I realized that I was the only person out of all the places that they would be visiting that they would most like share these things with. A few days later with the help and blessing of the state dept I flew alone to Los Angeles for the first time ever and met with these three folks again. I learned a little more of their stories and came back home with a lot of excitement and energy but kept hitting blank walls when talking to other arts folks here in WV. I wrote a little about my visit with them in my publication that was circulated to a 4 state area and still no response. One of the things I learned was that one of my new art collegues who was in charge of the only existing art center in Bahgdad knew a professor that had photos of many items once in their main museum that had been ransacked. He asked me if I knew anyone that could publish a book about it. Years I thought about this to no avail and I wondered why me? Pete? Why you and your company?
Why did I meet a controversial professional ballerina, daughter of the head of finance for Iraq, who in her last performance in her country went to receive a gift at the back door of the play house only to open a box with the head of her younger brother in it? Why was I the only American at that time to know of this story and was also tasked to help her find a performance place and then months later when I couldn't find her received a call from a stranger in Michigan interpreting a message from her to me that she had "defected" to America and that her male partner, that I met and spent time with, stole all of her money and was in Georgia also defecting. I still shake my head at all of this and wonder is the story for real? Has it been told yet? who will one day tell this story?
I had a dream of doing an exchange art exhibit with my friend at the art center he was very interested as well. We talked about doing an art installation in his war torn country one like the mazes I've lead communities in creating. See a few here: http://www.artscollaborative.org/pages/commcoll/commcoll.htm Community Collaborations www.artscollaborative.org What is an “Umbrella Offering”? An Umbrella Offering is the term used by the Transcendental Arts Council to describe a unified effort of giving, on a large scale, in the form of a project (ie work of art.) Each of these large projects are designed to unite people who are interested in giving of thei… David Heatwole
5/24, 11:15pm David Heatwole wrote: Another interesting story alone would be how old childhood neighbors did something together to bring this story to light. A thought maybe worth pondering. I would be interested in your thoughts.
5/25, 8:52am Peter McGuigan wrote: Hey David - I'm somewhat familiar with the looting in Iraq because Robert Edsel - author of Monuments Men - has a foundation for the preservation of art. He always looks for ways to draw a connection between what Eisenhower did for art at the end of WWII and contemporary situations like the one you describe, or Libya, and so on. Maybe I could put you in touch with Robert to see if there's a way to work with the foundation?
5/25, 9:33am David Heatwole wrote: that sounds good thanks meanwhile i will drum up all my contact info and see if i can make contact. The Iraqi looting was pretty big news at the time but apparently after news died down not much else happened with it really not sure now. Thanks again.
5/25, 3:42pm Peter McGuigan wrote: Check out the monuments men foundation for the preservation of art. Robert Edsel just spoke at Bridgewater College too weirdly
5/25, 3:55pm David Heatwole wow that is wild!
11/17/2014 Just learned about an interesting book.
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