by Judy LaPietra
Auschwitz was the largest center of extermination in the history of mankind. As record numbers of people visit this historic site in Poland today, a new opportunity has emerged to bring the historical and human consequences of Auschwitz to the world. Seeing Auschwitz is the world’s first touring photographic exhibit that provides us with the opportunity to bear witness to this history at a local level. The Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center at Queens University is proud to host this world-renowned exhibit on its North American debut in Charlotte.
The largest and most lethal of all of the extermination and concentration camps established by Nazi Germany, Auschwitz was central to the Nazi plan to eradicate all the Jews in Europe, as well as the persecution of other victim groups. Between 1940 and 1945, at least 1,100,000 people were killed in a process of systematic and industrialized mass murder.
Seeing Auschwitz is comprised of a collection of 100 photographs of this universal symbol of the Holocaust that have survived to the present day with an audio guide that includes testimonies from survivors to give the experience a narrative sense. The 60-75 minute experience consists of images, shot by perpetrators, victims and liberators that are presented not just as proof of the mass genocide but as a startling glimpse into the human lives lost. The vast collection of images come from varying sources including aerial allied pictures of the camps, documentation of the deportation process and living within Auschwitz as well as insight into life before the camps.
Through our engagement with these historic images, we are able to deepen our understanding of events, to connect to the human narrative, and to honor and remember the individual victims who were murdered at Auschwitz.
Seeing Auschwitz was conceived and produced by Musealia, in partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, and in collaboration with the UN and UNESCO.
We hope that you will join us for this historic and powerful experience.
The exhibit will open on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2024 which marks the liberation of Auschwitz, and run through April 15, 2024 at the Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery at The VAPA Center, 700 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC.
Tickets will be made available for purchase through the Fever entertainment company. The audio guide is free of charge and accessible from your mobile phone. Parking at the VAPA Center is free to the public.
The exhibition offers free educational material suitable for various levels of learning to encourage reflection, making learning accessible to school groups.
To learn more about the program, contact Judy LaPietra, LaPietraj@queens.edu.
Comments
I saw this exhibit in London last Fall and it is excellent!
We are excited to bring it to Charlotte. We’re hoping SPICE and other Temple tribes will come view it.