We Paint! Damascus Gate, Old City, Jerusalem

Site: Damascus Gate of the Old City, Jerusalem
Time: 1:30 pm- 3:30 pm
Contributors: Ardea Vinuegopd, Mhomad, Julio Delgado, Raed Almouhtsb, Razd, Dina, Asil, Jubril, Alaa Obeid, Hassain Al Kaissa, Aea Dwak, Ibrahim Sandlouka, Katia Birs Kefa, Mohammaed Hawash, Hane, Aaleh Arejibi
Click here to see more photos.

The Damascus Gate of the Old City in Jerusalem is better known as the bustling East Jerusalem entrance to the city, and is typically highly populated by Arabs. The primary-color-washed canvas was set up on the lowest platform leading outward from the gate. Though it was a hot day, those of us female facilitators wore long sleeve t-shirts in order to show respect to potential religious painting participants.
The flow of interest was consistent and controlled as the first hour of painting proceeded. We had a diverse gathering of participants ranging from South American to Indian, along with locals. There was a noticeably larger amount of men than women who were willing to paint, and by the second hour there was a sizable crowd of young boys (along with a handful of daring girls), surrounding the canvas.

As more people gathered around and the kids realized it would take longer for them to have a chance, the group began to crowd the painting so that there was barely any space between the canvas and the front row's noses. An older man who also wanted the chance to have a chance, turned his walking stick horizontal and pushed the line back. I continued to ask the group to take three steps backward until I made my best efforts to do the American thing and line up by number. After I numbered the group off, everyone insisted that they were in fact number one.

Soon enough the kids had abandoned the line and were grabbing brushes and paints, sloshing the colors around on the canvas as they pleased. While I appreciate the process of this painting and perhaps its portrayal of these young boys and their culture, I knew that it was time to pack up.

We Paint! Jaffa Gate, Old City of Jerusalem, Israel

Site: Jaffa Gate of the Old City, Jerusalem
Time: 2 pm- 4 pm
Contributors: Jackie, Andrew, Chaya, Smen, Yischar, Daniel, Yitzchak Meir, Alyatt, Mohammad, Andrew, Audrey Thomas, Dominique Young, Harel Gabai, Paul Sass, Maya Tobias, Rachel Ellison and other anonymous artists

More Photos

Today "We Paint" went to the Old City of Jerusalem, a holy site for monotheists everywhere, to add a little more color to an already vibrant place.
On the technical side of things I decided to take some good advice (thanks, Tuvs) and made a wash of color over the white canvas before starting both "We Paint" projects set in Jerusalem. In my opinion the results were most definitely favorable. Artists were much more daring with their approach to the canvas, were more willing to layer their color over previous works, and were not reluctant to paint to the edge of the canvas.
Above: Before participants began

The crowd today was a great mix of locals and tourists, children and adults of all ages, and believers of various religions. While the Jaffa Gate is typically the main gate Jews use to enter the city, it is used by people of all faiths and backgrounds. The project is now able to attract a good variation of people with invitation signs in 3 languages (English, Hebrew, and Arabic). I am hoping to have more as time goes on. One challenge that comes with the language barrier becomes evident when artists paint words on the canvas that I cannot read. Jerusalem is obviously a highly political atmosphere with a population of Palestinian/Arab and Israeli/Jewish civilians living side-by-side in apprehensive peace.
Though the nature of "We Paint" is peaceful and good-hearted, it is also open-ended to the point that it can be manipulated in negative ways. One man emphatically explained that he painted "Palestine" in Arabic. Then later on when a religious Jewish teenage girl painted the words "מוות לערבים’, meaning "death to Arabs", I was able to decipher the Hebrew completely. Feelings of shock and even embarrassment fell over me for a moment, knowing that someone from my culture would make such a mark on our shared canvas. This, however, is a part of the process of the work. Everyone is able to make their own touch. Such is art. Nonetheless, Maya's turn to paint came conveniently after this hateful marking, and she healed it up with colorful green and purple stitches of paint (see photo above). Overall the project was a success today. Thank you to all who took a moment to make a difference. Special thanks to Maya Tobias and Paul Sass, who joined me on the trip to make the "We Paint" Jerusalem tour!

Above: the final product
More photos coming soon!

We Paint! Darfur Refugee Center; Tel Aviv, Israel

Site: Darfur Refugee Shelter, South Tel Aviv
Time: 2:30-4:30 pm
Contributors: Ali Abakar Ishkary, Babiker S., Bhareldin Nueueu, Babiker Mohammad Osman, Mohamed Abdula Adam, Noureldin Adam Haruun, Abad Abdulskuhuor, Adam Ali, Atba, Adam Muhammad, Arbab Gumma, Muhamed Bakara Salle, Ali Abdula Ali, Adam Ahmed Adam, Yhaya Edmas Hammid, Sailk Uhaya Knaff, Colombo, Hamed, Maya Tobias, Rachel Ellison


Today's We Paint was much different than any other before. Maya works with a group of people who teach English to the refugees who have escaped the dangers of life in Sudan, and who have usually spent some time detained in a prison before reaching Tel Aviv. A substantial number of men live in this apartment-sized cluster of rooms. Without citizenship and waiting for worker's permits, they sit around most of the day playing cards and speaking with journalists who meander in and out, until they can change their individual situations. The group at this shelter seem to care for one another as a pack of brothers. They support one another and make eachother laugh in spite of their distressing situation.

We set up the canvas in the main room, whose perimeter is lined with about 30-40 mattresses where residents sleep at night and lounge in the daytime. Before we finished setting up, the first artist was ready to paint. Noureldin Adam Haruun was the guinea pig who continued to direct the subsequent participants in a narrative work. Midway through we stopped for an explanation of the story. The men explained that the painting told the story of how these men reached Israel; leaving their burning villages, escaping Egyptian prisons and gunshots, and stories beyond my imagination. When the canvas seemed to be full, the men asked me to paint, so I added the first splash of color-- a ribbon of blue and purple. While the day began using only a cool color palette, the reds and yellows were introduced later. This and the flipping of the canvas at different points were new elements.
While more refugees will keep entering already crowded shelters like this one, it is hard to know what to do first to help these people, and there is a lot to be done. Considering their plight, the group seems like a motivated group, willing to work hard to create a new life for themselves.
Click here to see more photos.

We Paint! Yafo; Israel

Site: The Flea Market in Yafo (Jaffa), Israel
Time: 12:30- 2:30 pm
Contributors: Maya Tobias, Zoe Jordan, Oded, Tuvs, Adi M., Rita, Saloom, Kfir, Demssie Habte, Guy, Mel from Australia, Maoz, Rachel Ellison, Had, Issac Kirman, and several more anonymous artists.

Yafo is an ancient port city mentioned as far back as the Bible. One of the first port cities in the country (not to mention in the world), today it is a part of the municipality of the much yonger city of Tel-Aviv. In Old Yafo you can find enchanting walkways filled with art galleries and great views of the port. We Paint was set up in a much different part of town: the flea market. This is a place where one would certainly go to make treasure of someone else's trash. There are areas where goods and antiques are sold; the spot where we set up is full of private vendors who spread their sale items across blankets on the ground so that shoppers can browse and bargain. It's a casual operation. The artists of the flea market were an active bunch, with many passers-by who stopped to make their mark on the canvas.
Special thanks to Tuvs and Maya who helped me out today and to Kefah Hesgmeh, the midwife who showed me how to write my sign in Arabic.


Keep painting out there!

More Photos!

P.S. This We Paint was conducted today in honor of the birthday of Jeremy Louis Guttman!

We Paint! Circle of Health International

Site: The first Circle of Health International Middle East meeting, Mindy Levy's birth center at Moshav Bet Lechem G'lilit in northern Israel
Time: While I usually ask for one minute and thirty seconds from We Paint participants, these women were free to paint as long as they wished from Thursday evening until Friday afternoon.
Contributors: Tia Pinsky, Haleema Badran, Kefah Hesgmeh, Polly Hyams, Jehad Sabbah, Gomer Ben Moshe, Seham Shamasueh, Hilary Kirshenbaum, Naomi Noe, Sahar Jolany, Manal Mousa

The project seemed to be a good outlet for the ladies, who spent a lot of time thinking about heavy topics in meeting periods. This was a way to experience a moment of freedom. I am also excited to say that I now know how to write "Please Share a Moment of Your Day" in Arabic, so I will be able to invite a more diverse crowd to paint at my next public "We Paint" event!