During the summer of 2010 I was selected by the Jewish Enrichment Center (JEC) to join a group of 40 other individuals and embark on a ten day trip to Poland and the Czech Republic. The trip, which was preceded by eight weeks of classes related to Holocaust studies, Jewish history and global genocide, was focused on investigating not only the cause and immediate repercussions of the Second World War, but to confront its impact on generations of individuals who have yet to be born. While in Poland I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau. The camps, which at one time held three of my grandparents, as well as the city of Oswiecim, a unique crossroads with a tragic history and promising future, left a lasting impression on my life and practice as a visual artist.
The Oswiecim Project
The Oswiecim Project is a permanent site-specific artwork that will provide a space for social gathering in close proximity to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. My vision is to create a public venue with a similar format to that of a museum/gallery. Rotating programming, such as - films, concerts, lectures and an artist in residency program where individual artists will be able to live and work within the facility for a set amount of time are the most immediate planned uses for the space.
The historical significance of this specific location is incredibly rich and the town of Oswiecim is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. As an alternative to what currently exists, the Oswiecim Project will offer residents and tourists alike a place to come and consider life while looking forward rather than backward.
Most recently the Oswiecim Project was awarded the William T. Graf Travel Grant which will allow me to return to Oswiecim in January of 2012. While in Poland I will be meeting with a number of local organizations to begin developing programing for the following year.
For the most up-to-date information please follow the Oswiecim Project on twitter:
Oswiecim Project Twitter Page
To contribute to the Oswiecim Project and receive a limited edition signed and numbered That's Life baseball cap use the paypal link below, or
click here for more information.
Thank you.
Joshua Schwartz