UTW 66

The Sea monsters and the child with the bird’s nest scarf in the Kielce ghetto, Nazi occupied Poland, 1942

Mosaic-drawing combo
Art: 2018
Size: 49.5 inches H x 38 W [125.7 cm H x 96.5 W]

The sea monsters in the mosaic were designed with the intent by the artist for use of the artwork in teaching young children about tolerance vs. intolerance. The latter includes the Islamophobia, race hate and anti-immigrant xenophobia and bigotry that has swept across Europe and in the U.S. in recent years; in the US this campaign of hate is led by President Trump and Vice President Pence.

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The artwork was inspired by a photo Segan first saw in the website of the USHMM, Washington, DC,

back around 1994:

The USHMM website states the photo # is 03273 and that the child is holding a piece of bread.

It is dated January 1, 1942. The USHMM website also shows a photo of this child in an ID card; and a third photo shows the child standing with other children and an adult.

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From the USHMM website:

“An identification card bearing a photo of a child holding a cup and a piece of bread in the Kielce ghetto.

An official ID card was required to receive food rations at the soup kitchen organized by the Jewish Social Self-help Committee of the Jewish Council. The ID card was issued for the month of May 1941, and was valid only for breakfast. The inscription in Polish reads, "1,600 morning meals served daily."

This photo was one the images included in an official album prepared by the Judenrat of the Kielce ghetto in 1942.”

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The USHMM text, viewed in spring 2018, solves a mystery for me that I had since I first saw the photo around 1994...I had always wondered what the child was holding in his or her left hand....I had always told viewers (of UTW 42) that I thought it was either a book or perhaps a 'brick' of bread.

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I  previously drew this child from the same photo in the largest artwork of wings series,

UTW 42: Shoah Dreams (1997-2000).

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The url of a video of VHS camcorder taken footage (30 min., 22 sec) Segan took at the Burke Museum’s ornithology lab when Segan was drawing birds wings in the Shoah Dreams drawing includes footage of the child with the birds nest scarf.

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A 6 min., 44 sec overview of the artwork

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Tile making design of sea monsters, Holocaust educ mosaic art, Apr 2018 (1 min., 32 sec)