Eyes Wide Open, Part 3

The Eyes Wide Open memorial to American and Iraqi dead made its third appearance in the Phoenix area this weekend. This installation is at Crash Arts, located at 817 W. Madison Street in Phoenix and will be on display from noon to 4:00 pm today as part of the 19th annual Art Detour. Art Detour is a BFD here, drawing thousands of people who would otherwise go nowhere near some of these places.

I volunteered for a couple hours yesterday morning. Crowds were slow during my watch but began picking up as I left around noon. Along with the opportunity to see Phoenix art spaces, patrons will also get a strong dose of reality at Eyes Wide Open.






The indoor venue gives the memorial a much different feel from the earlier installation at Encanto Park. This installation has a more somber, almost sepulchral, feel than the outdoor setting. I felt a sense of passage and change as I walked among the boots. The arrangement is no less respectful or moving for being in a confined space, just different.

The second installation was last Monday and Tuesday at Arizona State University. I didn't make it for that event. You can find pictures of it here.

Thanks to Cheri Lippmann of Code Pink Phoenix for organizing and coordinating the exhibit. She and other volunteers from the End the War Coalition put a lot of effort into this. It would be nice to think that we'll never have to do this for another war.

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Crash Arts is located near the Central Arizona Shelter Services center so the area is frequented by many homeless individuals, including veterans. The juxtaposition of Iraq war casualties with our domestic walking wounded is a stark reminder that our national priorities create collateral damage here at home.