John Brown Lives! is partnering with Chicago Veterans for Peace to plan a full schedule of presentations at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall on Friday and Saturday, September 7 – 8 and a follow-up Oral History workshop and screening on Sunday, September 9 at the John Brown Farm in Lake Placid, NY.

My Lai Memorial Exhibit, developed by Essex artist Mac MacDevitt, honors the Vietnamese people who died as a result of our political and military actions in their country during their American War.

The exhibit gives us an opportunity to view the horrors of war and know that we must do everything in our power to prevent future wars.” ~Participant in Santa Fe

Mac reports that the exhibit is “humanly interactive.” As part of the exhibit, participants are invited to build sculptural collages, write in the Exhibit Journal, engage in dialogue, and share their artwork and comments with other participants and on social media.

The exhibit was hosted on its spring tour by Veterans for Peace chapters in Santa Fe, San Diego, Fresno, San Francisco, Spokane, and Iowa City. Mac is looking forward to welcoming his North Country neighbors to the Memorial Exhibit on September 7-8.

The My Lai Memorial Exhibit is free (donations appreciated) and will be open Friday and Saturday from 12:00pm – 7:30pm.

Exhibit Schedule

Friday, September 7
At Whallonsburg Grange Hall (exhibit open 12:00pm-7:30pm)

Mac will be hosting an Exhibit Chat with Q&A at 2:00pm. An opening reception will be hosted by the artist on Friday from 6:00pm – 7:30pm. All are welcome.

At 7:30pm, the Conroy brothers from West Chazy will present “Healing the Wounds of War in Vietnam,” an informal discussion with Q&A. All three brothers lives were impacted by the Vietnam War. Ralph “Pete” was an infantryman during the war, while Mark was the Vietnam Director for the East Meets West Foundation for more than 20 years after the war. John W. is a Vietnam vet and a journalist. All the brothers have traveled extensively in Vietnam, witnessing the damage caused by the war and the remediation projects implemented by the foundation.

Saturday, September 8
At Whallonsburg Grange Hall (exhibit open 12:00pm-7:30pm)

On Saturday two Exhibit Chats with Q&A will be presented. Mac at 2:00pm and Martha Swan, the Executive Director of John Brown Lives!, at 6:00pm.

At 7:30pm Louis Bickford, will present “Confronting the Past: How Societies Deal with Past Atrocity.” Drawing on his 20+ years as a human rights activist and consultant, Louis will share efforts to confront the past in Argentina, South Africa, Bosnia, and other countries, and look at different ways of confronting the past, including war crimes tribunals, truth commissions, and memorialization.

Sunday, September 9
At John Brown Farm, Lake Placid, NY

From 12:00pm – 3:00pm Gerry Zahzvi will lead an oral history workshop – “Asylum Seekers at Our Borders: Gathering and Sharing Their Stories.”

At 4:00pm, Janet McFetridge, founder of Plattsburgh Cares and Emily Martz will show a short PBS video followed by discussion.

For more information contact info@johnbrownlives.org or 518-744-7112.