A Kailian Writes from Boston

I'm happy to share with you an article written by a dear friend, Rosella Bahni from Benguet. She's pursuing her MA in Cultural Production at Brandeis University in Boston.

Her class in Museums and Public Memory successfully put up an exhibit of Sudanese paintings entitled "Leave the Bones and Catch the Land." Read more about it here . The Boston Globe also wrote about this pioneering class project.

Here it goes.

Introduction
What started as a class project turned out to be more than just participating in the exhibition of the south Sudanese paintings. I found myself taking the journey with them from their homes, through the deserts to Ethiopia and Sudan, and their desire for education while in the United States. I had the privilege of this vicarious experience in my encounters with them. Reading "The Lost Boys" was my first encounter with the civil war in Sudan told from the vivid accounts of three boys who endured and survived the hardships of losing their parents and communities at a very young age.

Personally encountering the south Sudanese themselves were deepening moments for me. When I interviewed Panther Alier, I met for the first time a south Sudanese. His narratives corroborated the experiences of the Lost Boys and he gave a face to them. I also interviewed Yar Alieu who stressed the importance of retaining their cultural values that make them a community. I was particularly honored to be told about her mother whose voice Yar still vividly remembers and treasures for the sake of her child. Yar’s sharing provided the balance of gender perspective in looking at the exhibit. Another encounter I had with the south Sudanese was during the fund raising activity held on October 14. I saw part of their rich cultural tradition while they sang and danced. I was happy to become part of their effort to gain support for their education. I likewise prepared a paper for the development of a south Sudanese museum. All these contributed to enrich and guide my involvement that culminated in my participation with the exhibition of the south Sudanese paintings.

From the beginning: October 9 first day in the gallery
I was present on October 9 on the first day that the paintings were brought in the gallery. I was witness to and became involved in the dynamics of starting an art exhibition such as the following:a. Assessing the exhibition space - before all the paintings were classified, those present looked at the over-all design of the gallery to consider how to maximize the available space, the vantage view of the windows, and the two doors. These were analyzed vis-à-vis the story line of the paintings and perceived movement of viewers to attain better understanding of the exhibit.b. Assessing the paintings: their meanings and messages - the available paintings were studied as to the initial meanings and messages these convey and the group present proposed several categories to classify these. Additional categories were later added by the class.c. Creating the story line or format for locating the paintings - From the categories identified, the story line was developed starting from remembering homes to hopeful paintings. This was later developed by the class to end with ‘prophetic visions.’

The Technology of Setting-up an Exhibit
In the succeeding days, I witnessed the class in the refinement of the story line and the proper classification of the paintings according to categories. I also became part of the design team that gave more extra hours to look at the entire exhibit. In the process, I was involved and enriched by the other’s input as well.

a. The Element of Wonder: Placement of Paintings - the design team tried to address aesthetic concerns on the placement of the paintings. Once the story line was established and the largest painting was located, the design team arranged the paintings according to these bases: colors should not contrast but blend; images should not jar from the paintings beside it; there should be smooth transition between categories; certain paintings have more impact than others and placed above the rest (I am happy to suggest that the painting "Still Coming" should be placed above the maps.); and balance should be observed but to allow for certain imbalances that are nevertheless attractive. Other paintings were reviewed as to relevance and placement in the story line. Non-relevance meant non-inclusion of the paintings.

b. The Element of Resonance: Understanding the Context - I strongly felt that the exhibit is not only to meet aesthetic purposes but also aims to raise awareness so that more sectors will be involved in addressing the concerns of south Sudanese. I was happy that background information was given regarding Sudan and its conflicts and the student statement carried a paragraph advocating for action.c. Captions Preparations - every member of the class was involved in preparing the captions. I learned the importance of listening to the voice of the artist and the people represented in preparing captions. These were my contributions in this part of the exhibition preparation: interviewing and uploading the results of the interview with Panther and Yar; formulating captions in partnership with other students; helping a bit in editing the captions; mounting the captions on foam paper; and pasting the captions on the wall.

Conclusion: The Opening Night
I participated, albeit very minimally, with the opening committee in conceptualizing the Opening Ritual. I liked the idea of a south Sudanese to have a major part in the ceremony because the exhibit is actually their own. I met Yar and Panther again. I am happy to share in their moment of ownership by singing their song. On this opening night, I received a gift of t-shirt from Susan Winship in gratitude for the volunteer work I did during their fund raising activity. Actually, I should be the one to express my gratitude to Susan for her work enabled me to meet the south Sudanese. By "journeying" with them, I became aware of my responsibility as a member of the community of humanity. And through my participation in the exhibit, I hope to have contributed in their quests for peace and justice.