Things got heavy in the new HPPR studio with an in-depth conversation about some of the concepts that drove these dual exhibitions at Amarillo Museum of Art. AMoA curator Alex Gregory, Jon Kolkin, Mohamad Hafez and I explored the fundamentals of what it means to be "human," questioning the roles of empathy, our spiritual connection to nature, and effectively communicating the catastrophic effects of war, loss, and displacement. It was a LOT, but it was a fasciniating conversation.
We're so grateful they could stop by to share their perspective on these exhibits with our High Plains Listeners. Click here for details about the exhibits. Hear the full interview by hitting the button at the top of this page.
More about Shades of Compassion: The SHADES OF COMPASSION exhibition’s primary goal is to promote compassion worldwide through inspirational, thought-provoking photographs. Drawn from a diverse roster of forty-one international fine art photographers, the fifty exhibition photographs encompass a diverse spectrum of perspective, subject and artistic expression.
Curated to engender a nuanced experience of compassion, the exhibition invites the viewer to dig deeper into their understanding of compassion. The photographs are sequenced and organized into three theme groups: Environment, Humanity, and Spirituality. Opportunities for engagement in exploring and experiencing compassion are wide ranging - recognizing planet Earth as our collective home, an expansive inter-dependent web of life; weighing the fragility of endangered species and the complexity of human interactions with other life forms; witnessing isolation and alienation as well as the power of love, nurture, caring touch, inter-generational support, and transformative spiritual experience. SHADES OF COMPASSION provides compelling portals for a broad spectrum of compassionate connection.
Compassion is a foundation for non-violent conflict resolution, equity, sustained social engagement, and addressing challenges facing this planet and all its inhabitants. Extensive research in neuroscience and medicine also suggests that individuals who engage in acts of compassion toward themselves and others, benefit personally, achieving greater physical and emotional health and well-being, while living happier, more productive lives. Making a clear distinction between compassion and affective empathy, ‘feel my pain’, which leverages distress, anger, and fear as the catalyst for action, the SHADES OF COMPASSION exhibition relies on positive, constructive emotions as a means to achieve its primary objectives. It strives to provide an immersive, safe, contemplative environment.
Participating photographers: Ansel Adams, Wolf Ademeit, Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher, Daniel Beltra, Niki Boon, Phil Borges, Nick Brandt, Ernest H. Brooks Ii, Kevin Bubriski, Tom Chambers, Imogen Cunningham, Virgil Dibiase, Tj Dixon & James Nelson, Melinda Hurst Frye, Maurizio Gjivovich, David Gonzalez, Misha Gordin, Robert & Shana Parke Harrison, Michael Kenna, Angela Bacon Kidwell, Marla Klein, Jon Kolkin, Lisa Kristine, Joey Lawrence, Ruth Lauer Manenti, Rania Matar, Beth Moon, Nasa / William Anders, Wayne Quilliam, Chris Rainier, Antonio Aragon Renuncio, Manjari Sharma, Maggie Taylor, Joyce Tenneson, Jerry Uelsmann, Dave Walsh, Alice Zilberberg, Zoe Zimmerman
SPONSORS: The Shades of Compassion Foundation (501c3)
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More about UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage: This exhibit seeks to humanize the word “refugee.” Created during the summer of 2017, this multi-media installation is the work of Syrian-born, New Haven CT artist and architect Mohamad Hafez and Iraqi-born writer and speaker Ahmed Badr.
For UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage Hafez sculpturally re-creates rooms, homes, buildings and landscapes that have suffered the ravages of war. Each is embedded with the voices and stories of real people — from Afghanistan, Congo, Syria, Iraq and Sudan — who have escaped those same rooms and buildings to build a new life in America. Their stories are collected and curated by Badr, who attended Wesleyan University and is himself an Iraqi refugee.
These stories are told by kind, genuine and impressive people that society sometimes labels as marginal and insignificant. By giving these voices a tangible platform, Badr and Hafez invite the spectator to reexamine the word “refugee” and view it through a multidimensional lens. These are not merely stories of violence and war. These are stories of triumph and resilience, featuring architects, lawyers, journalists, professors—living and breathing proof of the power of the human spirit.
