The He(art) Show:
This past March STAND UMN hosted an art show and benefit concert to raise awareness for the struggles refugees from conflicts around the world face. The Heart Show strived to combine art with advocacy and through the use of art, music, speakers, and dance, a unique atmosphere was created. We were able to display art from refugees by collaborating with local artists, student artists, and through the collaboration with locally based NGO called the Iraqi American Reconciliation Project. Through this collaboration, we were able to procure work made by Iraqi artists and refugees working in Iraq. The show raised awareness for people in areas of conflict by using all forms of art as a catalyst. We also had speakers interspersed between bands who performed inspirational pieces and covers about universal human rights and justice. Furthermore, at the show we had a speaker who survived the occupation of France, a refugee speaker who fled from conflict in Somalia, and a speaker from the Center for Victims of Torture, a national organization which helps to assist local refugee populations. We found that having a multimedia approach including visual art, music, and dance was the perfect tool to raise awareness for human rights.
The event benefited the American Refugee Committee, a Minneapolis based NGO that helps refugees from around the world both in their home countries and here in the United States. The Heart Show showed people ways they can help in their own community and STAND UMN was pleasantly shocked by the generosity of those who attended the event. It is truly moments like the Heart Show that show the breadth of people’s kindness.
The Heart Show was extremely successful. We raised $1,000 dollars for the American Refugee Committee and had nearly 150 in attendance. Due to this success, we have decided to make it annual event at the University of Minnesota and greatly hope that other STAND chapters will follow suit in spreading a movement of He(art) in order to raise awareness for human rights. Each show will benefit a different organization each year but we will always focus on issues related to human rights, and the effects of genocide and conflicts around the world. The goal of this night is to spark thought and discussion for different ways individuals can reach out to those in their student, local, and international communities. After all, the world could use a little heart…
All of Our Wishes,
Carly Dooley, Laura Dahlquist, Anna Kaminski, Ashley Probst, and Zoe Carlton
Written by STAND UMN
More pictures from the event below. Photographs are the gracious work of Minneapolis photographer Eric Elvendahl and graphic design is the work of Henry Nahurski.
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