Man's Inhumanity to Man

Ruth Weisberg, Keep The Gates Open, We Are Not The Last

The art exhibition "Man's Inhumanity to Man: Journey out of Darkness" which opened on April 4th, at the Brand Library Art Galleries, 1601 West Mountain Street in Glendale, will run through May 8. This is part of the City of Glendale's Annual Commemorative Events.

The exhibit at the Brand Library is organized by the City of Glendale and co-curated by Ramela Grigorian Abbamontian PhD in association with the Brand Library Art Galleries. "Art is a powerful agent in society with the ability to awaken our consciousness, transform our minds, and ignite a desire to bring about change," says Abbamontian. "This exhibition aims to do all of these things."

Organized into three sections, the exhibition includes over 40 artists and includes over 70 works in a diverse range of media including painting, sculpture, photography, and installation. Accompanying the exhibition will be a fully illustrated, color catalogue and essays by Dr. Abbamontian and UCLA Professor Paul Von Blum which describes the exhibitions themes and purpose.

The goal with Journey out of Darkness is to educate the viewer about the various inhumane events that have taken place yesterday and today, with the hope of avoiding and preventing them tomorrow. It is an exhibition of contemporary reflections of these events by artists originating from throughout the world and now residing in Southern California.

The exhibition will include an innovative educational wall wherein visitors are invited to post their responses to several question prompts, including:

What must it have felt like to have been a victim of the inhumanities portrayed?

What can you do to prevent similar acts in the future?

What is the power of art in the endeavor to prevent inhumanity?

Despite the inhumanity you have just witnessed, is there hope?

Where is there hope?

The intent of this interactive component is to provoke thought and initiate a dialogue amongst the visitors to the exhibition.