A special (and delicious!) dinner was held in the NCAG Galleries on Friday, May 17th as a thank you to major donors and art professionals. The thought provoking artwork that surrounded guests represents a joint effort between New Century Art Guild and the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project, based in Minneapolis. This collection, entitled: Unforgetting Iraq: In Search of Recovery, is being shown for the first time in our Kimballton gallery. Once it leaves us in September, it will continue to tour across the US. The exhibition will open to the public Memorial Day weekend.

This exhibit aims to highlight, through art from both Iraqi and American artists, the aftermath of that war. This collection uses images to speak to our capacity as humans to recover from traumatic, devastating events and of our ability to extend compassion to cultures that are different than our own.

Our speaker for the evening was Mr. Rick Burns, an expert on the effect and aftermath of modern warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also an expert in compassion –and translating that compassion into action.

Rick worked as an Army Civil Affairs officer to better understand the needs of citizens caught up in the ravages of war. After two tours in Iraq, Rick went to Afghanistan as an Army civilian to assist military commanders to better understand the indigenous culture. Through this work of helping locals deal with endless government and infrastructure problems, Rick saw firsthand the daily issues faced by families living in an unstable society.

After he returned stateside, Rick  launched the Karadah Project in 2010, which sought (and continues to seek) to help those left behind in the wake of the war.