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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Art historian presents "a fragment of the whole story"


At the Holocaust Genocide Studies Project's 13th annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration on April 29, keynote speaker Stephen Feinstein, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota, reflected upon many examples of art and monuments inspired by the Holocaust.

When coupled with the fact that the experience was shared with 17 Holocaust survivors, many of the 100 guests at the Memorial Art Gallery, including student members of the Holocaust Genocide Studies Project (HGSP), were very moved.

"Each fragment of art can help you complete the whole story of the 'shoah' (Holocaust), a story which has no straight narrative," said Feinstein whose presentation spanned from Marc Chagall to Pablo Picasso. He also touched upon Hitler's experience as a struggling art student. Feinstein's expertise was evident when he referred to how Picasso, who painted Holocaust works for the World's Fair in Paris by relying only on testimonies and photographs, chose to ultimately abandon the subject because it was't based on first hand experience.

He shared the story of a Gestapo officer who confronted Picasso about a Holocaust painting found in his Paris studio. "Did you do this?" asked the officer.
"No, you did," Picasso responded.

Feinstein commented "People get very upset about art -- even to the point that they will write a letter. People today get more upset over art than they do about genocide. The question for artists isn't 'How are we going to remember the Holocaust?' it's 'How are we going to forget it?'" he said.

Following the lecture, the audience participated in a candle lighting ceremony. The names of the Holocaust survivors present were read as they came forward to light a candle of remembrance of the millions of victims of the Holocaust. Members of the HGSP also stepped forward to light candles.

In her closing remarks, Janelle Lippa, president of the HGSP, reflected on how important the work of the HGSP is to today's students. "Learning about the Holocaust is the only way to prevent it from happening again," she said.

MCC President R. Thomas Flynn acknowledged how the Project has changed the lives of hundreds of students at MCC. He encouraged the audience to remember their college days. "It's programs and experiences like this that students remember... the events that change lives," he said.

Please click on the attachment below to view photos from the commemoration.




Rosanna Condello
College and Community Relations
05/01/2003