ST. LOUIS — Two artists whose show was abruptly closed at Craft Alliance after accusations of antisemitism have a new place to exhibit their work, including pieces sympathetic to Gaza.
About 20 other artists, including several Palestinians, will also show their creations beginning Saturday night at on Cherokee Street.
“I’m thrilled,†artist Dani Collette said about the new opportunity. “Our whole purpose was to help a family in Gaza.â€
Proceeds from art sales will benefit the family of four, whose mother is pregnant and wants to give birth safely in Egypt.
Collette and Allora McCullough were artists-in-residence at Craft Alliance when their original show opened June 21. That day, a couple of the pieces or their titles were deemed antisemitic and removed. Within days, the entire show was canceled.
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“I hope they have a good exhibition and fundraiser,†Bryan Knicely, executive director of Craft Alliance, said on Wednesday. “They are good artists.â€
But he held firm on Craft Alliance’s decision to cancel the earlier exhibit: “We reserve the right to remove artwork deemed inappropriate.â€
Controversy swirled around the title for a stained-glass window made by Collette: “From the River to the Sea.†The slogan has been used in protests against Israel. Another removed title was a stained-glass olive branch called “Indigenous to Palestineâ€; and a small glass bowl that showed the print of the Palestinian kaffiyeh (scarf) and held watermelon seeds that were etched “Land Back.â€
McCullough, a ceramist, made several watermelon pieces; watermelons have been used as a symbol for Palestine since Israel banned display of the red, green, white and black flag for a time in 1967.
McCullough said she was told by Craft Alliance that the watermelon was a “chilling representation of Palestinian flags.†McCullough’s biggest installation is a walled garden of ceramic watermelons. The frame of the garden is topped with curled wire that evokes barbed fencing.
“I was initially horrified that my labor of love and efforts toward helping save lives were slandered as antisemitic and violent,†McCullough said Wednesday.
She taught art for several years at Marshall University in West Virginia and at the State University of New York in Fredonia.
“I taught entire sections on censorship,†she said. “I don’t go into these things lightly. This whole mess has been very upsetting.â€
McCullough said neither she nor Collette “support any political entity, but rather believe in fighting for the rights of all peoples around the world to experience freedom. Our focus was, is, and has always been on protecting civilians.â€
Knicely said artists in residence at Craft Alliance cannot take a political stance and cannot hold fundraisers.
And while Collette and McCullough noted that previous work shown at Craft Alliance was linked to LGBTQ+ rights, gun violence, immigration and other issues, Knicely said politics weren’t banned — but taking an overt political stance was.
“If it is a statement that people feel is a death threat, that puts Craft Alliance in a difficult space,†he said.
“To keep a safe space at Craft Alliance, we don’t allow things like the phrase ‘f,’†he added. “If it had been an attack in the other direction, we would have done the same thing.â€
Kinsley said he was unaware of some of the titles until the artworks were installed and that the artists should have made the titles clear earlier so Craft Alliance could have been better prepared.
The 60-year-old nonprofit organization is now pursuing legal help on writing more explicit guidelines on its freedom of expression policy for its handbook.
Collette said art “is supposed to spark conversation†and that Palestinians have reclaimed the phrase “from the river to the sea†as a plea for peace and equality. Many Israelis, however, say the phrase is a rallying cry for terrorists and violence, and a call to eliminate their country in favor of a Palestinian nation.
Collette said she found the Craft Alliance criticism of their artworks an overreaction. “To think that two young artists in the Midwest could possibly try to solve 1,000 years of conflict,†she said. “We were specifically helping one family survive a war and get to safety.â€
The controversy at Craft Alliance has garnered the artists more attention, and the family they want to help is getting more donations. They need about 140,000 euros to get into Egypt and support themselves for a year. So far, the family’s GoFundMe has raised more than 90,000 euros. The artists learned of the family through Operation Olive Branch.
First aid and anesthesia in Gaza has often been scarce after months of war, news reports have said. The Gaza Health Ministry has said more than 38,000 people have been killed since Israel attacked the territory following a Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7.
The artwork for the Fifteen Windows Gallery exhibit, titled “Planting Seeds, Sprouting Hope Redux,†is focused on the Israel-Hamas war. Some pieces are abstract paintings. A ceramic opossum family is on display along with other types of media.
Gallery owner Bryan Walsh had no qualms about mounting the exhibit. “Art has played a role in political movements over many decades,†said Walsh, who counts himself as politically active. “I think it was important that this work got a proper showing and was not put behind closed doors.â€
For the new show, Collette’s artworks have titles displayed. The most controversial one has been changed, though. Now she is calling the piece, “From the River Jordan to the Mississippi, We Will All Be Free.â€