This row of hoods along the wall opposite the door of the Puffin  Gallery is the first thing many visitors see upon entering.  At first, the staff there tell us, they may not know what they are looking at.  The beauty of the objects causes them to walk over to get a closer look.

They can see the black fabric dyed with bleach to reveal interesting colors and patterns.  They can also begin to read the texts that accompany the installation.  Here is the last part of artist Julia Karll‘s statement:

And here is a part of one of the stories about the prisoners who remain at Guantanamo, many of them beginning a second decade of imprisonment, though as you would see if you read all their stories, all but a handful of the remaining 171 of them never did any harm to anyone, certainly not to the US.  They continue to be held without charges or legal process, many of them having been ordered to be released by US judges, but the US regime refuses to do that.

All of them have been tortured.  Visitors to the exhibit can read accounts of that:

“They tied my hands,” and “my hands were hanging above my head” are parts of this account to a military commission at Guantanamo by one of these prisoners. Beaten, thrown against the walls, suspended from the ceiling by their tied arms, not allowed to sleep, being hooded, are some of the ways these men have been tortured by US personnel.

Many aspects of their imprisonment are violations of the Geneva Conventions to which the US is a signatory.  Those conventions, which have been made US law, say that humiliating a prisoner is a violation.

At one end of the installation, Merri Milwe, the curator of the Puffin Foundation exhibit AFTERMATH, art that goes from 9/11 to Guantanamo, of which I Do Not Resign Myself is a part, has set up a desk where visitors can write a letter to one or more of the prisoners.  Julia Karll had insisted that this be a feature of the installation.  The museum staff tell us that visitors are moved to write to them.

The Puffin Foundation Ltd., which provides funding for artists from all over the United States, states that it “has sought to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy.”  Its “mission in the arts: to join with other concerned groups and individuals to ensure that the arts not merely survive, but flourish at all levels of our society. … The Foundation’s grant search provides funds to hundreds of artists annually.”

American Creative Dance has received funding for two of its projects from this national foundation.  You can see clips of Judith, a contemporary version of the traditional story of the courageous women who rise up and save their nation, by scrolling down on the Performances page of the American Creative Dance website . 

I Do Not Resign Myself, the art installation and performance inspired by the fate of the remaining prisoners at Guantanamo. at the Puffin Gallery through November 10th, is the second.

You can see the opening performance I Do Not Resign Myself here.

I Do Not Resign Myself is a first part of a larger installation and performance series that is still in progress, heading for opening in late 2012.  American Creative Dance is a 501 c3 not for profit arts organization supported mainly by contributions from the public.  Click here to make a contribution.

The photographs are by Adam Bennett.  The video which also produced the  film still above is by Ed Haas.