Eugene weekly., December 02, 2004, Page 9, Image 9

leries.”
The first Last Friday ArtWalk took place
from 6 to 9 pm Nov. 26, showcasing work at
Possum Place (339 Taylor), Jawbreaker (415
Monroe), the Museum of Unfine Art (537
Willamette), Last Eye Open (938 W. 3rd) and
sixseventyseven (677 West 12th Ave.). It also
included a listing of public art installments
and murals across town.
Wallach says that Last Friday is intended
as an extension of the First Friday ArtWalk,
but with more emphasis on artists who may
not display their work in high-end galleries.
“There are people who don’t think of them-
selves as artists, but when they get around
other artists, they get inspired,” he says. “We
feel like everyone is an artist, and everyone
can participate in the process in their own
way. The sharing of art should be accessible
to everybody — artists as well as the public.
It’s a good way for artists to exchange input
and inspiration.”
The next Last Friday ArtWalk will take
place Dec. 31. For more information, contact
Possum Place at 683-0626. — Kera Abraham
PROTESTERS
BACK FROM SOA
Four anti-war activists from Eugene re-
turned last week from attending a large
protest Nov. 21 at Fort Benning, Ga. The
Eugene contingency was Sister John
Maureen Backenstos, SNJM, of McKenzie
Bridge; Trudy Maloney of the Church of the
Bretheren in Springfield; Marilyn Hunter,
SNJM associate; and Peg Morton of Eugene.
Morton, a Quaker scholar, has been ar-
rested several times at Fort Benning and was
released from federal prison in July after
serving a three-month sentence for civil dis-
obedience. None of the Eugene group were
among the 20 arrested this time.
The annual protest drew a record crowd
of about 16,000 people calling for the closing
of the Army School of the Americas (SOA),
which has been renamed the Western
Hemisphere Institute for Security
Cooperation. The SOA is known for provid-
ing advanced military training to Latin
American dictators, generals and other offi-
cers and soldiers since the 1940s. “Its gradu-
ates have been implicated in massacres, as-
sassinations, torture and disappearances
throughout the region and throughout its his-
tory,” says Morton.
The gathering outside Fort Benning
lasted for three days. “We listed to the
wounded cries of survivors who watched the
killing and disappearance of loved ones, ab-
sorbing the ongoing courage as they seek
justice,” says Morton. “We participated in
the hours-long procession of mourning and
creation of a memorial fence. We watched
the 20 people who found ways to climb and
go through the fence onto the base in acts of
nonviolent “holy obedience” and will proba-
bly serve time in prison. We wept, we were
taught, we danced, we laughed, feeling more
deeply than ever a living, loving, courageous
worldwide community devoted to building a
world of peace and dignity.”
This was Marilyn Hunter’s first trip to the
SOA. She recently retired after 24 years as
DECEMBER 2, 2004 9