Dear friends,

Here are some final reflections about the exhibit in Rome.

When in Italy at the end of 1999, we started preparing a presentation of One by One's experience, the idea of a multimedia project seemed to us very interesting. So we tried to organize meetings, a concert and an exhibit all at the same time. As you remember, for several bureaucratic problems, a space for the exhibit with certain characteristics has been available only at the beginning of this year.

Actually this not-wanted delay revealed itself very useful mainly for two reasons. It allowed us to speak once more about One by One and all the themes related with it not too long after the first meeting. The second reason was to consolidate and activate the relationships, which were born during the first meetings in March 2000. The new Roman friends of One by One have been glad to know that we were organizing a second event with you.

At this point be ready to find together new ways to go on with the work that we started so well!!!

The Rete di Indra-One by One's team worked more than well, as the people who attended at the opening day showed. And this came directly from Rosalie-Martina-Ilona-Deborah S.R.-Todd-Betty's work of last March. I personally spoke with many people who attended at the opening day and carefully listened to the recording of the talks; they all are of high quality. Ivan, Martina and Susan were clear and deep in their words and the audience has received these qualities.

After the first week, the exhibit started to work very well, with many visitors during the day and students in the mornings. It is not exaggerated to say that almost one thousand people visited the exhibit.

The tools that we together had prepared were very useful. The video we did last March of the One by One speakers helped to introduce One by One's experience and we used to show it before starting the visit of the exhibit with the students. Many schools asked for a copy of the other video (Confession of a member of Hitler Youth) that we used to show after the visit of the exhibit.

The catalogue was much appreciated - and not only for its graphic that, as you know, was born thanks to the generosity of many friends since we were not able to do a more traditional one! The printer worked with true passion, besides his professionalism. It would be nice if One by One could send thanks to him too (Marco Colitti Via Giuseppe Libetta 15/a 00154 ROMA).

The comments of the exhibit I heard from different kind of people were all extremely positive. Only to let you know a few names, I like to remember Bernie Glassman and Eve Marko, Nicola Valentino (who organizes in Italy an exhibit with works made in prisons, mental institutions, hospitals), Laura Mincer (the Secretary of the Jewish Cultural Center), Mirko Pagliacci (a quite famous painter who studied with Mario Schifano), a group of teachers of the German school in Rome, etc.

The exhibit both for its nature and for how we used it, during the three weeks, carried out different functions. When I spoke the first time with Rosalie about this project, she thought of a framework into which to facilitate the realization of more related events, and that's the way it worked in Rome.

During some hours of the day we had the exhibit: the works with the texts by the artists and the catalogue with the deepening of One by One's experience. Actually in the morning the exhibit became an educational path for schools with the two videos and the presence of one of us for the debate with the students that each day was different on the basis of students' questions.

At last, in two occasions, on February the 7 and 16, the exhibit gave 'hospitality' to two very important events attended by many people. The meeting with Carla Cohn about 'Terezin and the origin of negazionism' and then with another survivor, Edith Bruck, who bore witness to her experience reading her poems. As with Carla, the questions from the public were numerous.

Eventually from my side, I believe that the most sincere thanks I could express to you is to let you know that I am ready, even since tomorrow to start again to send each other emails, making calls, in order to plan together new projects!

With much, much gratitude to all of you

Roberto Mander
Rete di Indra
Viale Gorizia 25/c
00198 ROMA

www.geocities.com/reteindra/Main.htm
www.comune.roma.it/cultura/italiano/attivita/2001/mostre/one_by_one/

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