Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COAR Exhibits Work by Local Artist: Portraits of Resettled Refugees in Phoenix

December 13, 2007
Media Contact: Cara Steiner Kiggins
Executive Director
Community Outreach & Advocacy for Refugees (COAR) (623) 399-4943
csteiner@coarweb.org
www.coarweb.org

Who: Community Outreach & Advocacy for Refugees (COAR), a local, Tempe- based, youth-led nonprofit that utilizes volunteerism and youth leadership to support refugees; and local artist Eliza Gregory, a member of the eye lounge artist cooperative on Roosevelt Row.
What: A photographic peek into the lives and experiences of resettled refugees in the Phoenix metro area.
Where and When: ASU Anthropology Museum, Tempe (from April 3 to Oct. 1, 2008) and eye lounge, 419 E. Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZ, ( Sept. 19 to Oct. 11, 2008)
Why: To raise community awareness about resettled refugees who’ve fled persecution and now live in Valley. To honor the experiences, struggles and triumphs of refugees resettled here.

More information:
Refugees flee their home countries, in fear of losing their lives, their rights, and their family members in violent conflicts. Often, refugees can never return home. Each year, 2,000 refugees are invited by the US government to resettle in Arizona and build a new life for themselves and their families. COAR (Community Outreach & Advocacy for Refugees) a local, Tempe-based, youth-led nonprofit is collaborating with local artist Eliza Gregory to photographically document the experience of resettlement in Arizona.

Refugees hail from all over the world, including Iraq, Cuba, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burundi, Liberia, Iran, Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Sudan. Eliza’s large format photographs show them in their new homes and communities including Glendale, Phoenix, Chandler, and Tempe.

These photographs will be displayed in two venues. The first exhibit, entitled Fuse: Portraits of Refugee Households in Metropolitan Phoenix will open at the ASU Anthropology Museum on April 3, 2008. The second show will feature different work from the same series. It opens at the eye lounge, 419 E. Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZ, on September 19th 2008 and runs for one month, through October 11th.

These exhibitions will foster critical thinking on who refugees are and how members of the Phoenix metro community can seek common ground. The photographs will validate the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of the photographed families, honoring them in a way that fosters a deeper sense of belonging in the community.

Additional resources include:
COAR: www.coarweb.org
The eye lounge artist cooperative: www.eyelounge.com
The ASU Anthropology Museum: http://www.asu.edu/clas/shesc/asuma/

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We are pleased to announce the support of the Jaburg & Wilk Foundation! They have generously contributed $7,500 to provide for Reaching Higher program costs and scholarships for Reaching Higher Scholars. The support of the Jaburg & Wilk Foundation along with our many other supporters makes higher education a reality for refugee youth! Check out the Jaburg & Wilk website at http://www.jaburgandwilk.com/.