The American Friends Service Committee’s acclaimed traveling exhibition, "Eyes Wide Open: Beyond Fear, Towards Hope," is coming to Ithaca, October 6 through 9.
This exhibit was first installed in Chicago in January 2004 with 504 pairs of empty combat boots, one for each US military casualty in Iraq. Since then, it has traveled to more than 50 cities, including on the Mall in Washington, with more boots added at each stop, now totaling more than 1900. Alongside the boots stands a large collection of civilian shoes representing the Iraqi dead and a wall of remembrance with the names of more than 11,000 Iraqis who have been killed since the war began. The exhibition is coming to Ithaca from Minneapolis, and will go next to Newark and Boston. People who have seen Eyes Wide Open have compared the emotion it evokes to that of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or seeing the traveling AIDS memorial quilt.
Eyes Wide Open will be installed on the Cornell University arts quad on October 6, and downtown in DeWitt Park on October 7-9.
Locally, more than 60 organizations have sponsored the Ithaca effort, including Ithaca Common Council. On the Ithaca College campus, Students for a Just Peace (SJP) is leading the effort, and more sponsors are being sought. The college community will have an opportunity to obtain more information about Eyes Wide Open at the SJP table at the annual Involvement Fair, taking place on the academic quad on Wednesday, September 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. Volunteers wishing to help with the exhibit can sign up at the fair or on the web. You can also contact Garry Thomas (thomasg@ithaca.edu) to find out more.
http://www.afsc.org/eyes/
http://www.afsc.org/eyes/details/ithaca/default.htm
http://www.afsc.org/eyes/details/ithaca/voladvance.htm
https://www.afsc.org/eyes/secure/ithaca-volunteers.php
