Indiana University faculty, students and the international art community have been galvanized by IU administration's decision to cancel the planned exhibition of IU alumna Samia Halaby's first American retrospective, "Centers of Energy." The decision has drawn criticism from IU faculty, students and free speech advocates, as many speculate censorship for Halaby's pro-Palestinian viewpoints was the underlying reason.
In response to the canceled exhibit, which was planned to open Feb. 10 at the Eskenazi Museum of Art on the IU Bloomington campus, community members have created a petition to reinstate the exhibit, and various groups are hosting events in early February that support Halaby and her work.
Who is Samia Halaby?
Samia Halaby is a Palestinian-born abstract artist whose work includes mediums of paintings, sculpture and computer art. Halaby received her master's degree in fine arts at IU Bloomington, and was a tenured faculty member from 1969 to 1972.
At age 11, Halaby experienced the 1948 Nakba, – the name used to describe the forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians by Zionist militias from British Mandatory Palestine – and much of her work engages with themes of Palestinian displacement.
Her first American retrospective, "Centers of Energy," was in the works at IU's Eskenazi Museum of Art for more three years. A sister exhibition at Halaby's other alma mater, Michigan State University, is still set to open in June 2024.