Posted on 02/08/2005 1:35:58 PM PST by got_moab?
Now on display at Alperts in Seekonk with other high school art, the student's work is causing some controversy.
Jeffrey Eden devised his award-winning project less than 30 minutes after his high school art teacher asked him to express a thought or two in a three-dimensional way.
The award-winning artwork by high school student Jeffrey Eden compares President Bush's war policies with Adolf Hitler's pillage of Europe. So, in the wake of last year's polarizing election and the war in Iraq, the 17-year-old built an abstract scene comparing President Bush's war policies with Adolf Hitler's pillage of Europe.
The student's diorama-like assemblage juxtaposes Hitler quotes with statements by Mr. Bush, Nazi swastikas with American flags, desert-colored toy soldiers with olive plastic figures. And so on.
Eden said he's trying to point out certain similarities between the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the German blitzkrieg -- without actually equating Hitler to President Bush.
In this, the success of his project is debatable.
Nonetheless, it has earned the Charlestown student a silver key at the Rhode Island Scholastic Art Awards.
It has also tested the contest's commitment to an overriding principle: that students should be encouraged to express their own thoughts through art.
The piece, titled "Bush/Hitler and How History Repeats Itself," triggered a complaint soon after it was displayed with other award-winning entries at Alperts Furniture Showplace in Seekonk last week.
"It's offensive to me," said Paul Lewis, a 34-year-old North Providence man.
Lewis asked Alperts to remove Eden's piece and phoned area newspapers as well as Channel 10 and Channel 6.
He said he sees zero relationship between the policies of President Bush and Hitler.
"It's a stretch," he said.
Lewis said the piece poorly conveys what Eden told The Journal he was trying to convey because it leaves too much to interpretation. Someone might think the artist believes the president is as evil as Hitler, he said.
"I believe he should have been a lot more clear in putting those two things together," Lewis said.
Alperts refused to remove the exhibit, but the store did attach a disclaimer.
The views of the artist do not represent the store, it said.
"We don't censor art," said the store's owner, Hershel Alpert. "We're not in the business of censoring art."
Eden hopes to study art after he graduates from Chariho Regional High School next year.
Eden said that although he supports U.S. soldiers, he believes the invasion of Iraq was unjustified.
The recent election in Iraq has not changed his views.
"At the time we invaded we did not have the justification nor the intelligence to take him [Saddam Hussein] out the way we did," he said.
Figures of President Bush and Hitler, drawn on Popsicle sticks, are at the focal point of Eden's work. Each is addressing his own army of plastic soldiers.
On a backdrop, Eden has pasted statements of Hitler. He has penned a few of his own sentiments, too.
He hopes people will read them.
"Hitler's own justification was his own hatred," said one slogan.
"Treatment of the prisoners was unspeakable [concentration camps]," said another.
To the right of President Bush, Eden's handwriting said "No justification" and "Saddam had no affiliation with the Taliban and there are no weapons of mass destruction."
Eden said the written messages are as important as the visual ones.
He thinks they show that the work is comparing Hitler and President Bush -- not equating them.
"I felt I was clear about what I was trying to get across," he said. "I believe those who misconstrued the artwork didn't take the time to really read into it."
His teacher, Lynn Norton, believed he got his point across. She gave him an A.
Apparently this student is repeating exactly what he sees on all the artsy-fartsy sites on the Internet. Deviant Art (www.deviantart.com), an online art community, has its share of those weirdoes as well, mostly in the "current events" category. They're like a plague.
There's nothing original in the kids' work, it's just copied from everyone else comparing Bush to Hitler. And obviously he has absolutely no understanding of either the Holocaust (I'm surprised the Jewish anti-Defamation League is not already suing him for trivializing the Holocaust), or the ongoings in Iraq.
But then again, he's only 17. What do you expect.
Here is a teacher and a student who need to visit Auschwitz, then visit the mass graves in Iraq and talk with some of the survivors of Sadam's rule.
I wonder who his parents voted for? Sheese, I get so tired of this Hitler stuff. I get an image of a bunch of no-nothings repeating over and over, "Bush is Hitler, Bush is Hitler", like parrots.
Just because no one can understand an "artist" doesn't make him a genius. Effete snobs have been presented paintings by chimpanzees and fell for them.
I just e-mailed her this:
What I would like to know is how Hitler invading free and peaceful countries the same as the US going in after a tyrant by the name of Saddam Hussein? I think that student of yours would be correct if the US decided to go after Belgium, Poland, France, or any other free and peaceful country in the world. But no, it went after a tyrant who imprisoned and murdered his own people for just the same right I am sure you and him cherish: The right to dissent. I am sure that student of yours loves that right he has to use his art talents to protest against the US government. But that same right that he has here would have got him imprisoned and murdered for protesting in Iraq against Saddam. I would think that would make him appreciate the fact that now because of the US military, Saddam's foot is off the heads of the Iraqi people.
My problem isn't with the kid, he is simply being blissfully ignorant like most 17 year old boys. The discussion on local radio has mostly gravitated more towards the local furniture stores role in presenting this garbage. The owner claims that Alperts "isn't in the business of censoring art". I didn't know that Alperts was in the business of promoting art period, I thought they were simply a furniture store? I wonder if Mr Alpert would feel the same way if the "art" in question was a comparison of the self professed war criminal John Kerry and "jenjis" khan? I also wonder if his answer to that question would be colored by the fact that he has donated to Mr Kerry's presidential campaign.
"The kid may have gotten an "A" from his art teacher, but he deserves an "F" in history."
I couldn't have said it better.
Michelle Malkin KID'S BUSH=HITLER ART GETS AN A
|
KID'S BUSH=HITLER ART GETS AN "A"
By Michelle Malkin · February 09, 2005 11:51 PM
 Did you catch this from the Providence Journal (thanks to Justin Katz and Antiprotester for the alert): Jeffrey Eden devised his award-winning project less than 30 minutes after his high-school art teacher asked him to express a thought or two in a three-dimensional way.So, in the wake of last year's polarizing election and the war in Iraq, the 17-year-old built an abstract scene comparing President Bush's war policies with Adolf Hitler's pillage of Europe.The student's diorama-like assemblage juxtaposes Hitler quotes with Bush statements, Nazi swastikas with American flags, desert-colored toy soldiers with olive plastic figures. And so on. Eden said he's trying to point out certain similarities between the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the German blitzkrieg - without actually equating Hitler to Bush. "Without actually equating Hitler to Bush?" Uh-huh. The title of Eden's "art" is "Bush/Hitler and How History Repeats Itself." The kid's been channeling Martin O'Malley! Eden's admittedly brainless Bush-bashing art earned him a "silver key" at the Rhode Island Scholastic Art Awards and an "A" from his teacher. Looks like his future is all set as a liberal campaign activist, tenured professor, or perhaps a major international news network exec. *** Kellipundit fumes: "The point is not whether or not this kid has a right to free expression, but that a panel of judges (15 people) thought that this type of crap is award winning art." Antiprotester posts an excellent response and wonders: "If Jeffrey had compared Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler, a valid comparison indeed, would he have won an award or have gotten an 'A?'" |
Bump!
Bill Bennett is discussing this issue on his radio show this a.m.
Semper Fi,
Kelly
Sad, when teachers use their students to promote ignorance. A solid dose of truth is in order - like a visit to Auschwitz and an interview with a holocaust surviver, for both the teacher, the student, the store owner and those who thought this art deserved an award. I think the student would have a much different view of reality had he lived in Iraq and had both his hands chopped off and an 'X' carved into his forehead, as Saddam did to seven Iraqi businessmen.
What the hell is your problem. you let the views of one innocent high school student piss you off that much. You obvioulsy have some real f*cking issues. And yes, i am a student at chariho high, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. ASSHOlES
I love that! Even though you do, in fact, have all the grammatical and spelling skills of a 15-year-old, I don’t believe you’re a student at this goofy school.
This was a bit of a lame variant of the necro-troll syndrome, though nobody was killed in the making of this lame ass post.
Fight fire with fire.
The libs should all be equated with plenty of examples of their fellow-travelers....Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Fidel, Hugo Chavez, et.al.
Hey, watch it
I'M 17, we're not ALL empty-headed morons.
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