It's no surprise that Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., both have Holocaust memorials.
But most people wouldn't expect to find one in rural Whitwell, Tenn., a predominately Christian, two-traffic-light town with a population of 1,600 and no Jews.
Yet, a German railcar sits in the yard of Whitwell Middle School, housing The Children's Holocaust Memorial.
The story behind this memorial involves teachers who wanted to teach their students about diversity and intolerance; teenagers who were shocked by the atrocities of the Holocaust and sympathized with its victims; and a lot of paper clips.
The story begins in 1998, when David Smith, assistant principal of Whitwell Middle School, attended a teacher's conference in nearby Chattanooga, and was inspired to start a program to teach students about the Holocaust.
He brought up the idea to principal Linda Hooper, who then implemented an after-school Holocaust education class for eighth-graders. Language arts teacher Sandra Roberts was chosen to teach the class; 16 students enrolled.
"Our goal was to teach children what happens when intolerance reigns and when prejudice goes unchecked," Roberts says in the film.
The students read books, saw photographs and watched films about the Holocaust.
To visualize what "six million" looked like, a student suggested collecting six million of one object to help grasp the concept. After conducting research on the Internet, one student discovered that during the Holocaust, after the Nazis invaded Norway and began prosecuting Jews, non-Jewish Norwegians protested Nazis' forcing Jews to wear yellow stars on their clothing by wearing paper clips on their lapels.
Photographic Artist Chris Jordan turns the statistics of consumerism into palpable images in his new photo series.
Please watch this video. From an artistic standpoint, it's irrelevant and the quality of the video belies what the actual work must provoke in person. The statement that it is making, which is what art is really for, is what is important. The last 60 seconds of the video is the most profound, but the whole thing must be watched in order for that last bit to resonate roundly.
This really is a great collection of work. It reminds me of the six million paper clips project.
Featuring more than 100 pieces by local and national artists, "When Robots Ruled the Earth" is the debut show for the Gallery at East Atlanta Tattoo, a new space next door to the long-standing skin art shop. From comedic paintings inspired by "The Jetsons" to 3-D pieces that literally burst from their frames and morph into sculptures, the 'bots range from friendly to menacing.
While robots are the theme in all the works, the interpretations of that theme are as different as C-3PO and R2-D2. Works of pop surrealism by artists such as Samuel Parker and Shane Morton take a retro approach, with giant machines wreaking havoc on puny humans. Others, such as Trish Chenard's series of classic Catholic images and Eric Joyner's "Smackdown," with Rock'em Sock'em Robots in the roles of Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, put robots into divinely recognizable human roles.
• THE 411: "When Robots Ruled the Earth." Free. 5-8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays or by appointment through Oct. 20. The Gallery at East Atlanta Tattoo, 1188-B Glenwood Ave., East Atlanta. 404-226-2279, www.lowbrowgalleryatlanta.com.
It can be a lonely feeling when the phone doesn't ring.And even though, yes, you could pick up the phone and call someone, sometimes you just need someone else to reach out first.
Ryan Paulson knows that feeling. Even though he's busy with classes at Dakota State University and a part-time job at Daktronics in Brookings, even though his parents only live a few miles away in Colman, even though he has - as of Saturday - a fiancé by the name of Cassie Moeller, sometimes he would look at his cell phone lifeline and just wish it would ring more often.
That's why a postcard posted Sept. 23 on PostSecret.com resonated deep within Paulson.
It said, "I bought the coolest phone on the planet - but it still only rings as often as my old phone did."
Paulson's response was put online the same day the postcard appeared.
Paulson wrote, "I feel the same way. I often wonder why I even have a phone because I rarely receive calls."
Then he offered a metaphorical ear.
"If there was a way we could contact each other, that would be cool. My phone number is 605-212-7787."
A few hours later, his phone rang. It was Warren, checking to see if Paulson had submitted a real phone number and truly was willing to talk with a stranger.
Paulson said yes, and his response was on line by 7:30 p.m.
Then his cell phone started ringing.
"Within five, 10 minutes of putting it up, I'd already had a couple phone calls," Paulson says. "I was like, OK, a few people will call and maybe the one person who put it up there."
Little did he know.
Within the first couple of days, Paulson received 250 calls, so many that his voicemail told countless other callers that it could accept no more messages.
He has talked to people in almost every state, along with calls from Colombia, Scotland, England and Australia. He's talked with soldiers stationed in Iraq.
Paulson, unknowingly, tapped into fears that many of us share: that in a busy, crammed-full life, no one remembers us; that our answering machines never flash because we simply don't matter to anyone; that in an era when communication with others is easier than ever before, we are communicating less and less.
"The vast majority of people I talked to felt the same way: 'I know exactly how you feel, and I'm really supportive you sent in your comment because it gives me and the original sender a feeling that there's somebody out there,' " Paulson says.
Paulson hasn't heard from the one person he really wants to talk to, the man or woman who wrote, "I bought the coolest phone on the planet - but it still only rings as often as my old phone did."
At least, no one he talked to identified themselves as that person.
December, 3. 7pm & 9pm at Push Push Theater Buy Tickets ($20 GA, $65, VIP) Or call 212-868-4444
Join us for a night of magic and mischief! FOUND Magazine and PostSecret clash in a battle of the titans. Davy shares sparkling brand-new finds, Peter plays ridiculous songs based on FOUND notes, and Frank shares powerful postcards from his bag of secrets. Additional mayhem guaranteed!
VIP guests - please arrive one hour before the show for a special reception with Davy Rothbart and Frank Warren. You will also receive front-row seats and a bag of FOUND and PostSecret treasures.
Viacom today launched a new social networking site under the MTV name, with the distinctive characteristic of being devoted to youth activism.
ThinkMTV.com today moved out of beta and is open to the public. Though it may be tough to compete against giants like Facebook and Myspace, MTV is taking a different approach to set itself apart from the basic friend-connecting style of the existing sites.
ThinkMTV will be a place for users to meet and discuss political and economic issues. MTV's "Think" brand is used to promote awareness for things like the power of the youth vote.
At its core, ThinkMTV.com will be a social networking platform just like countless other sites. MTV hopes its core message will be heard, though, and will bring something different to the table.
"The Think platform creates an umbrella to be able to talk about a number of issues at a time," said MTV president Christina Norman in a Reuters interview.
ThinkMTV.com has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Case Foundation (set up by AOL founder Steve Case), and a couple other charitable groups.
The new site launches in the middle of the most widely discussed early presidential campaign in history. The elections will be a major part of the site, according to MTV.
mixmedium was created in 2002 as an online art magazine. Using the internet to exhibit the works of artists who use a variety of mediums, mixmedium includes the photography, music, films, print designs, and other artwork created by both emerging and well established artists. The goal of mixmedium is to inspire creative diversity, expand artistic knowledge, and create an active network among artists and those who appreciate art.
mixmedium strongly encourages viewers of the site to interact with the content, contribute media and artwork, and submit film and music reviews. The more media and artwork that is contributed, the better this site will be.
Interesting site. Seems to still be working on growth.
This is the place I got my tattoo. They are located on top of the Flatiron in East Atlanta. It is an awesome tattoo parlor. Not only are the artist friendly and great at what they do but the way the shop is laid out and decorated is beautiful. Even if you are not gonna get a tattoo check out the shop.
