WAR-TOYS: Blog

Conference / Congressional Dinner in DC

Last week I attended a Washington, DC conference on Israel and Palestine hosted by the Telos Group. It was an absolute pleasure meeting and speaking with a wide variety of likeminded professionals, filmmakers, leaders of faith, humanitarians, and Congressional representatives from both sides of the aisle. I gained a lot of new support for WAR-TOYS as well as new perspective on the conflict. It was refreshing to hear messages that were simultaneously pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, and pro-peace. 

The weeks ahead will be filled with follow ups and continued planning for my next trip overseas. I look forward to working with staff from the NGO's and other organizations that have recently come on board. Thanks again to the Telos Group for their kind invitation to the conference. I continue to be humbled by all the support and encouragement the project is receiving.

 

Judy Rubin, the Original "Art Lady"

For the past six months, I've had the immense pleasure of working with renown art therapist, author, and educational filmmaker Dr. Judith Rubin. Her bio, while impressive, only hints at her dedication and passion for children's issues:

Judith A. Rubin, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the field of art therapy. She is the author of many books, including Child Art Therapy, The Art of Art Therapy, My Mom & Dad Don't Live Together Anymore, Artful Therapy, and editor of Approaches to Art Therapy. After her experience as the "Art Lady" on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (PBS), Judy has made numerous educational films, including Art Therapy Has Many Faces, Beyond Words, We'll Show You What We're Gonna Do! Children & the Arts, The Green Creature Within,Creative Healing in Mental Health, and Art Therapy: A Universal Language for Healing.

Past President and Honorary Life Member of the American Art Therapy Association, Judy also served on the board of the National Committee – Arts for the Handicapped and the Task Force On the Arts for The President's Commission on Mental Health. Since retiring from clinical practice, she has devoted her energies to creating and disseminating films on the arts in therapy through a nonprofit organization, Expressive Media.

Judy has very graciously donated her time and expertise to the WAR-TOYS project. Aside from giving me invaluable advice and perspective based upon her decades of work with children, through her, I've connected with many equally brilliant and dedicated art and play therapists here and abroad. Their combined contributions will ensure that the success of WAR-TOYS will come from safe and positive interactions with affected children. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Judy, and I thank her for her remarkable support and encouragement. To mark Judy officially coming on board as a Consulting Art Therapist, I thought I'd share a photo of her working alongside Dr. Fred Rogers in the early days of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. 

CNN.com Feature

It was more than a little flattering to see my work on CNN.com last week. When I sat for the interview in Atlanta, I had no idea that the piece would be so prominently featured on their homepage. My humble thanks to Asieh Namdar (writer), Nick Scott (producer), Matthew Rond (producer), John Nowak (video), Barbara Griffin, Michael Ouweleen, Mike Toppo, and Cyndi Strand.

The interview is below, and a link to the accompanying portfolio of WAR-TOYS work is here. 

 

Reaction to both the interview and portfolio has been remarkable. It's felt good to see the support and hear all of the positive comments about the project thus far. There have also been a few, very vocal critics. Not surprisingly, most of them appear to be coming from far off to the right. It's pretty funny to be called a "propagandist," perhaps funnier still to those that actually know me. 

Both the praise and criticism are reminders of just how far I have to go. Despite the early success with the project, I feel that I'm just scratching the surface. I look forward to getting back and continuing my work with both Israeli and Palestinian children. 

That said, I hope you'll take a moment to consider backing the Kickstarter campaign. It has 19 days and a little over $19,000 left to go! I'd appreciate any contribution, large or small. 

Kickstarter Campaign

[Update] Thanks to everyone that backed the WAR-TOYS project on Kickstarter! While I regret that the campaign missed its goal, I'm grateful for all of the support and encouragement that was given.

Additional fundraising efforts continue unabated. I'm confident that I'll find enough resources to return to the Middle East in the new year. Some remarkable humanitarian organizations have opened their doors to the project and granted me access to the children under the care. I look forward to collaborating with these young boys and girls to articulate their firsthand accounts of war, occupation, and terrorism. 

I thank you again for your kind support and encouragement!

 

Freedom to Create

Sorry that I haven't been better about keeping the blog up-to-date lately. The last several months have been a whirlwind of activity.

I'm happy to report that the proof-of-concept phase of the project has officially come to an end. My thanks again to the entire production team that came together to offer their support and expertise. I'm extremely grateful to have had the help of Alex Dervin, Suzie Gilbert, Kurt Mattila, Rob Wilson, and Prologue Pictures.

In the next few weeks, WAR-TOYS will begin ramping up for the next phase of production. There will be many surprises in store, as well as opportunities for you to get involved. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

 

Flatteringly, my work on WAR-TOYS is starting to earn some notable recognition. The South African based foundation Freedom to Create has officially commended the project. It is an extreme honor, especially seeing the other artists who are alongside me on the list. 

I've also accepted an invitation to show six images (three photo / drawing pairings) from the proof-of-concept series in a Freedom to Create exhibition in Cape Town, November 17th - December 17th. The truly remarkable Graça Machel will be opening the event. 

I cannot say thank you enough to Freedom to Create for kind honor and opportunity to participate. 

 

In all of the chaotic insanity of the last few months, I also forgot to post a link to an article and interview by the UK magazine Don't Panic. They had some great questions about WAR-TOYS. 

Proof of Concept Trailer

 

It's been amazing to see this piece come together. Throughout the month in East Jerusalem I worried constantly if I was capturing what I needed to tell the story. The visionary post-production team that's assembled seamlessly turned my raw footage into a coherent piece. My thanks go to producers Rob Wilson and Suzie Gilbert, new partners Kurt Mattila and Alex Dervin, and the entire staff at Prologue Pictures.

This trailer is meant to serve as a proof-of-concept, not necessarily a reflection of the completed project. I'll be returning in the Fall to work with both Israeli and Palestinian NGO's across the region to collaborate with children from all walks of life. 

Packaging

I've spent some time over the last few weeks archiving materials from the proof-of-concept trip, including the original children's drawings, toys from the resulting photographs, and the packaging they came in.

Averaging 20 NIS ($5.75 US) for each set, these toys were purchased in the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City at several shops along Suq Khan Ez-Zeit. Inside the poly bags were a variety of cheaply made plastic soldiers, terrain, and vehicles. 

The cardboard tops that helped seal each bag make for interesting cultural artifacts:

 

Final Few Days

I've been back home in Los Angeles for just over a day. While I fight the effects of jetlag and travel fatigue, I thought I'd take the opportunity to show you how some of the final few days were spent on the trip. It was so busy that I didn't have time to keep the blog updated.

Thanks once again to the Spafford Children's Center and its wonderful staff, I was given time to revisit the group of children that made many of the drawings that I based photographs on. I showed them rough printouts of the resulting shots to get their feedback and reactions.

Comments were overwhelmingly positive, with children saying that the photos showed exactly how they felt. There was also some very good critique - one from a boy that asked why was I showing toys instead of real people. He seemed to think that I was trivializing their situation, but he also seemed satisfied with my defense of the work as being illustrative and meant to connect more with concepts than specific people. The only other critique I got was for not including Barbie in any of the shots.

Joking aside, the Barbie comment was valid, but for a reason. Even when girls drew pictures of soldiers and strife, it featured boys in danger or boys being shot. Even still, I felt that girls were being under represented in the photographs. For the last toy shot, I once again crossed the Kalandia Checkpoint into the West Bank and photographed near the wall. 

Accompanied by former Spafford students Montaser (seen above) and Yousef, I focused on a little Playmobil girl and a plastic Palestinian flag. While the resulting shot doesn't correspond directly to any one child's drawing, the flag image was repeated again and again. It felt right to take a little artistic license to bring women into the picture. 

For the remaining days afterward, I spent time getting a number of shots for the documentary that I felt were missing. This included a toy shop in West Jerusalem where I had to go to get figures to represent the children and footage of the ever-present soldiers that patrol the Arab Quarter in the Old City.

Last Full Day

As the trip comes to a close, I find it hard to believe that it's only been a month. It feels like much longer. I've seen and done so much that I suspect that it's going to take weeks to process everything.

I grateful to all of the wonderful people that I've met here. The dedication and support that I've received is humbling, and the selfless friendships are something that I'll cherish.

I look forward to the next chapter of the project. With any luck, I'll be back soon to build upon the foundation that I've laid over the last several weeks.

Rainy Day Shoot in Deheisheh

A cold rain blanketed the region today, making it less than fun to be outside. After very nearly calling off the day's shoot, I traveled back to the Deheisheh Refugee Camp with my assistant Montaser and new friend/temporary assistant Murina. The wet, narrow streets made what I had planned all the more interesting and even beautiful. 

The main shot I wanted was of a group of local children (represented by Playmobil figures) with raised hands against a burning tank in the background. It's a theme I saw repeated a lot in the drawings that the children made on Tuesday.

Aside from the rain, the shot came together smoothly. I had gotten to know the camp and made note of spots throughout from previous visits. The only hiccup came just before setting the plastic tank ablaze - no lighter. Montaser borrowed one from a man passing and we were in business.

Thanks to the entire Deheisheh Camp for welcoming me in and participating. Extra thanks to my host Aysar and The Ibdaa Cultural Center. And finally, thanks to my assistants for the day. The behind the scenes photos were taken by them.