The voice of art in a battle for freedom
On October 2nd, 2008, the Mirca Art Group, an international coalition of professional artists, will release their landmark collaborative effort, a book entitled Freedom & Art, to the public.
The book features 74 works of art, each accompanied by a short statement about the synergy of freedom and art in our world, and is being sold to raise funds in support of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a key political figure who has been under house arrest in Myanmar (formerly Burma) for the past 18 years over her bid for political freedom.
The project was born out of artmesh, a social media website that allows artists to network via forums and groups, similar to the way users interact on social mega-site Facebook.com.
Swedish founder Stefan Tunedal created the Mirca Art Group as a private forum within artmesh that would focus on fostering art-orientated discussions in an open, tolerant atmosphere. The Mirca Art group eventually grew to include nearly 250 artists from six continents and over thirty countries. Aung San Suu Kyi and her battle for freedom - a passion of Tunedal’s - became a rallying cause for the group and is the inspiration for the book.
After its initial release to the public in October the book will be available for sale through the official website of Amnesty International and Amazon.com. All proceeds from the sale of the book Freedom & Art will be donated to Amnesty International to support efforts being made on behalf of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi's . A traveling exhibit featuring a selection of the art published in the book is also planned. It will open February 14, 2009, at the Mount Beacon Fine Arts Gallery in Beacon, NY.
By working together in the spirit of global collaboration, these artists have become a united voice of hope and pierced places where freedom has failed with the liberating power of artistic expression.
Website: www.mirca-art.com
An ART HAPPENING - “SET A BOOK FREE” - will take place in conjunction with the book release. On 2nd October 2008 - the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, that great ambassador for Peace - each contributing artist will leave out in a public space one book free for the public to find and read. These 'public' copies have been donated by internet-based publishing site blurb.com, from which the book will be initially available for you to purchase.
The book is available in soft cover format, bright yellow so that you cannot miss it if you happen across a copy in a public space...or misplace it if you decide to buy one! From the first glance, a beautifully crafted book with a collection of work from 74 artists. For a nominal sum, you receive a beautiful document of Worldwide Contemporary Art and deeply felt expressions of Freedom and Art. The size of this special book is 18 x 18 cm which is a handy 7 x 7 inches. It can be ordered from www.blurb.com from 2nd October 2008 onwards.
Title: Freedom & Art ISBN Number: 978-91-977701-0-1 Price: $20 (US Dollars) ~ €13.50
Proceeds of $4 ~ €2.50 will go to Amnesty International from each book sold. To the above quoted price, taxes (as relevant to your state or country) and shipping will be added. The more books are purchased, the more help will go in proceeds to Amnesty International.
The project was born out of artmesh, a social media website that allows artists to network via forums and groups. Swedish founder Stefan Tunedal created the Mirca Art Group as a private forum within artmesh that would focus on fostering art-orientated discussions in an open, tolerant atmosphere. The Mirca Art group eventually grew to include nearly 250 artists from six continents and over thirty countries. Aung San Suu Kyi and her battle for freedom – a passion of Tunedal’s – became a rallying cause for the group and is the inspiration for the book.
According to Carla Goldberg, US-based coordinator and senior editor for Freedom & Art, the book was meant to harness the energy and passion of the artists for Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi into an actionable strategy to aid in her release. On the effort to work with artists from around the world, Carla Says, “The project has brought our group together in a whole new way. There has been a lot of wonderful back- and-forth on message boards and everyone has been willing to offer their individual talents where needed.” On the effort to assemble the work of the artists together, she says, "It has been like assembling a beautiful puzzle...each piece is unique and, in the end, everything has fit together to create a complete work of art."
Please consider purchasing this special Art & Freedom book, this documentation of Contemporary Art. We as artists offer in this book images of our most beautiful creations and thoughts for peace which we believe dwell in all of our hearts. Sharing these images and thoughts can surely bring us closer to each other and closer to peace for all of humanity.
For further information, please contact mircabook@yahoo.com
posted by carlalensen on 9/11/2008 7:58 am