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Art Exhibit at John Jay College Features Works by Gitmo Detainees

Art Exhibit at John Jay College Features Works by Gitmo Detainees

“Ode to the Sea: Art from Guantanamo Bay”

Who looks at proposal for something like this and thinks it’s a good idea?

The Washington Times reports:

John Jay College art exhibit features works by Guantanamo detainees

An exhibit at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City featuring various artworks by current and former Guantanamo Bay detainees has reportedly forced the Department of Defense to review its policies.

The art on display at “Ode to the Sea: Art from Guantanamo Bay” in John Jay College’s President’s Gallery features more than 30 paintings and sculptures by Guantanamo prisoners — four of which are still detained, a local Fox affiliate reported. The exhibit opened Oct. 2 and runs through Jan. 26.

The art, which reportedly can’t show violent images, was obtained through the detainees’ lawyers, the New York Post reported. The exhibit website includes an e-mail address for people interested in buying works from the artists who have already been “cleared by military tribunals and released.”

“They created this art under strict regulations,” the exhibit’s co-curator, John Jay art crime professor Erin Thompson, told the Post. “They cannot produce violent images or anything that might contain a hidden message. Every blank sheet of paper … had to be inspected and cleared for use.”

The Post reported that the exhibition catalog, which was written by the three curators, provides brief descriptions of the artworks but omits the artists’ alleged crimes.

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