From the catalog, “57X57”
Head of Department: Professor David Grossman
Awards: David Tartakover, Dan Reisinger and Yaka Molcho
Director of Special Projects: Merav Kariv
Sponsorship and public relations: Reign
Catalog design: Michal and Dekel
Printing: Ofer Katz
Administrative assistance: Orly Patz and Helli Itach
Thanks: Prof. Amotz Weinberg, Baruch Sagiv, Varda Kalmar, Yosi Alkalai
______________________________________
From the catalog:
“Last year's exhibition, 56X56, was notable in that all 56 posters posters reflected the negative political and social environment. In particular, the posters dealt with terror, violence and the apparently stalled peace process. The extent of the self criticism present in the posters drew a great deal of attention and criticism in the media.”
___________________________________________"This year while there is still a good deal of criticism expressed by the posters (a natural tendency of critical creative individuals) tbere are a number of changes. The changed political environment, stirrings of developments in the peace process and the approaching disnegagements from some of the Palestinian territories are reflected in the posters, with hesitant expressions of possible advances on the peace front. More profound, are expressions of the internal tensions generated be the disengagement process, with the numerous references to maps, divisions and the unraveling of the geographic fabric of the country. Most interesting is the great number of references to internal social questions, especially to the rising wave of consumerism affecting Israeli culture and society"Read entire text here
_____________________________________________Email exchange between Dan Walsh and David GrossmanDear Mr. Walsh, I think you are referring to the posters designed in the framework of a series of Independence Day Poster exhibitions I organized over the years. The posters were designed especially for the exhibitions and were mostly created by professionals and not students. Unfortunately, while I still have the posters, they are not available in digital form. I would add that the content of the posters, designed by Israeli designers as part of what was overwhelmingly an internal debate, have a very different context when viewed by an international (and even regional) audience. I have had a look at some of the materials in your project (admittedly quite a short look!). And I think that I understand both the potential value and the motivations. I am sure that I am not the first to tell you that the issues in this part of the world are very complicated. (Yes...as in every part of the world.) There is of course value in collecting materials for academic study - the first stage of which is simple gathering (simple in terms of evaluation, not effort). But I am probably not the first to question the real academic value of merely presenting the materials, one poster next to another, without providing the often uninformed viewer with the deeper and far more complicated background issues. This is especially true when in respect to your suggestion that these materials could well be used as a basis for a study curriculum on Middle Eastern studies. If asked, I would probably identify myself as more to the left than the right (to put it mildly), and I believe my public record would support that. However I have to tell you that reviewing the structure, contents and language of your site made me uncomfortable in terms of a fair representation of the issues. Good luck with your thesis....and perhaps it would be appropriate to include this comment in your research notes! David GrossmanHello Again David, ... I myself see little academic value in "merely presenting the materials, one poster next to another, without providing the often uninformed viewer with the deeper and far more complicated background issues." It is for exactly this reason that my site, and the New Curriculum of which it is a part, has been designed, constructed and reviewed according to the principles and best-practices of, among others, Georgetown University, the National Council of Social Studies and the Middle East Studies Association. If you go through the site, which features almost 1,500 Israeli and Zionist posters (according to Yoram Shamir, the largest online archives in the world) I think you will quickly see that translations are provided in almost every case. It also provides detailed links to relevant elements found in the posters: iconography, publication data, sponsoring organizations, dates, dimensions, related posters and artists bio data and, if available, contact info. These features, modeled on the American Library Association's best-practices advisory, set the PPPA apart from all other sites related to the poster art of the Palestinian-Zionist conflict. Moreover, Israel is the number one country visiting the PPPA (approximately 600/month) and there are scores of Israeli artists, including David Tartakover (who is on the Advisory Board) who regularly send me their posters and who support the PPPA in a variety of ways. And yes, you are the first person to suggest that my project does not have real academic value. Indeed, just last week several Israeli educators wrote welcoming me to include all the posters their students had done in some recent contests and classes. As to your comment that "without providing the often uninformed viewer with the deeper and far more complicated background issues". I am in the process now of adding an "auto-fill" page that will allow these Israeli students (and also all other artists) to take control of the data process and fill out their PPPA pages with their info, links, Artists' Statements, etc. Once completed the PPPA will host these Israeli exhibits in their entirety. The question of context is central to the PPPA's identity and it sets it apart from all other Israeli/Palestinian poster sites, including that of the CZA (which has just disappeared from the internet) ... Dan Walsh
Originally archived as: 57 X 57 - 52
Begin forwarded message:
From: david grossman
Date: July 19, 2011 1:41:13 AM EDT
To: Dan Walsh
Subject: Re: Georgetown University student with research question for David Grossman...
Dear Dan,
I respect your efforts and am sorry that you seem to be offended by my comments. I don't intend to get into an exchange on this. I assume I am entitled to my opinions and my "discomfort".
I did not say that your project did not have academic value, I questioned the academic value of the materials as presently presented without what I see as the required context in relation to aspects beyond the long list of impressive efforts you indicated. Again, my opinion. If I am the first, then so be it. That should be refreshing and if my opinion has any weight perhaps a source of contemplation. I am glad that so many Israelis participate in these efforts, and note the distinguished participants you mention. May the list become ever longer. Hopefully, the numbers of participants from other countries will also increase.
I told you that while I still have access to some of the original posters, I simply do NOT have digital files for them. That is a pretty straightforward answer to your request, that is: No, I do not have the files so I cannot give them to you.
As a matter of record, I also do not have the right to distribute the images as the designers provided me with the right to present the posters in relation to the specific exhibition. These posters were created and distributed many years ago, in an administrative framework which no longer exists. It is as simple as that.
I think it is a bit much, and rather offensive, to contend that I am in some way denying 171 designers the opportunity to expose their works because of my political stance, when a) I do not have the images and b) I don't have the permission to circulate the images.
As you may be aware, designing posters is becoming more and more rare. Designers, in general, have few opportunities to generate works providing them with the opportunity to present their personal views. And when the few designers who do make the effort to voice their opinions do so, there are rarely opportunities to display these works. For these 171 designers, a rather large number, it is solely due to my efforts that all the specific posters were created, exhibited, and, eventually, came to your attention as well. And, I might add, with no intervention on my part in terms of content.
David
On Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 7:06 AM, Dan Walsh wrote:
On Jul 18, 2011, at 10:13 PM, david grossman wrote:
Dear Mr. Walsh,
I think you are referring to the posters designed in the framework of a series of Independence Day Poster exhibitions I organized over the years. The posters were designed especially for the exhibitions and were mostly created by professionals and not students.
Hello Again David,
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I was intrigued by several of your comments and have added mine in blue for ease of reading. This is the exact exhibit I am referring to:
http://www.talgallery.co.il/content2.php?actions=show&id=1812&r_id=627
The text says the posters were created by "students, teachers and others" at Shenkar College so that is why I thought it was more a student-based activity.
Unfortunately, while I still have the posters, they are not available in digital form.
I would add that the content of the posters, designed by Israeli designers as part of what was overwhelmingly an internal debate, have a very different context when viewed by an international (and even regional) audience.
I have had a look at some of the materials in your project (admittedly quite a short look!). And I think that I understand both the potential value and the motivations. I am sure that I am not the first to tell you that the issues in this part of the world are very complicated. (Yes...as in every part of the world.)
There is of course value in collecting materials for academic study - the first stage of which is simple gathering (simple in terms of evaluation, not effort). But I am probably not the first to question the real academic value of merely presenting the materials, one poster next to another, without providing the often uninformed viewer with the deeper and far more complicated background issues. This is especially true when in respect to your suggestion that these materials could well be used as a basis for a study curriculum on Middle Eastern studies.
Hmmmm....I myself see little academic value in "merely presenting the materials, one poster next to another, without providing the often uninformed viewer with the deeper and far more complicated background issues." It is for exactly this reason that my site, and the New Curriculum of which it is a part, has been designed, constructed and reviewed according to the principles and best-practices of, among others, Georgetown University, the National Council of Social Studies and the Middle East Studies Association. If you go through the site, which features almost 1,500 Israeli and Zionist posters (according to Yoram Shamir, the largest online archives in the world) I think you will quickly see that translations are provided in almost every case. It also provides detailed links to relevant elements found in the posters: iconography, publication data, sponsoring organizations, dates, dimensions, related posters and artists bio data and, if available, contact info. These features, modeled on the American Library Association's best-practices advisory, set the PPPA apart from all other sites related to the poster art of the Palestinian-Zionist conflict. Moreover, Israel is the number one country visiting the PPPA (approximately 600/month) and there are scores of Israeli artists, including David Tartakover (who is on the Advisory Board) who regularly send me their posters and who support the PPPA in a variety of ways.
And yes, you are the first person to suggest that my project does not have real academic value. Indeed, just last week several Israeli educators wrote welcoming me to include all the posters their students had done in some recent contests and classes. As to your comment that "without providing the often uninformed viewer with the deeper and far more complicated background issues". I am in the process now of adding an "auto-fill" page that will allow these Israeli students (and also all other artists) to take control of the data process and fill out their PPPA pages with their info, links, Artists' Statements, etc. Once completed the PPPA will host these Israeli exhibits in their entirety. The question of context is central to the PPPA's identity and it sets it apart from all other Israeli/Palestinian poster sites, including that of the CZA (which has just disappeared from the internet). Another indication of how well-received the PPPA is in Israel is reflected in the fact that all the Hebrew translations/contextualization is provided to me free-of-charge by several extremely well qualified retired Israeli educators and graphic designers. It is a source of great satisfaction to me that so many Israeli artists, educators, researchers and journalists support, and use, the PPPA.
If asked, I would probably identify myself as more to the left than the right (to put it mildly), and I believe my public record would support that. However I have to tell you that reviewing the structure, contents and language of your site made me uncomfortable in terms of a fair representation of the issues.
It seems you have politicized an educational/cultural resource that is very specifically and very deliberately NOT either of the left or the right. If you felt uncomfortable perhaps you can elaborate on that? What specifically made you uncomfortable? What, specifically, is "not fair" about the PPPA? Your answers might allow