So far from heaven
Subtitle: an offering
By: prints done from paintings and collages by Elly Simmons
Contributors: Al-Samarrie, Nadia; De Felice, Gaetano; Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Artists' Books Collection (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library); Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition
Publisher: [Elly Simmons]
Published: 2013
Place of publication: San Francisco, California?]
Language: eng
Subjects: Violence; Pictorial works; Booksellers and bookselling; Bombings; Iraq War, 2003-2011; Protest movements; Books and reading in art; Intellectual life; Social conditions; Censorship; Terrorism in art; In art; War and civilization; Vehicle bombs; Visual literature; Specimens; Cultural property; Destruction and pillage; Politics in art; Artists' books; Collage; American Painting
Description: This collection supports and promotes awareness to the important mission and framework of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition's focus on the lasting power of the written word and the arts in support of the free expression of ideas, the preservation of shared cultural spaces, and the importance of responding to attacks, both overt and subtle, on artists, writers, and academics working under oppressive regimes or in zones of conflict, despite the destruction of that literary/cultural content.

"I have been a committed artist and activist all my life. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the al-Mutanabbi Book Art project through a Facebook connection on an early weekday morning. Beau Beausoleil was a Facebook friend of a friend, and I thought his name quite beautiful, so on a lark, I sent him a friend request. Within minutes, he had responded, perused my art, and invited me to be a participant in The Al-Mutanabbi Book Art Project. My father, Specs Simmons, has a very beloved bar in San Francisco's North Beach, an area not unlike Al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad, filled with cafes and restaurants, artists, writers, musicians, and many poets. My family pub, Specs' 12 Adler Museum Cafe, hosts the gatherings of many poets, who have gathered there on Wednesday nights for decades, sharing their work, celebrating birthdays, and planning political activism. So I went down to these evenings to begin my process of 'gathering' poets to participate in this heartfelt project, an artistic response to the bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad, on March 5, 2007. Working on this project has drawn me back to the word, and the eloquence of deeply felt poetry, and for that, I thank Beau and all the poets who so graciously sent me their words. I was fortunate enough to work with the family photos of my dear friend Nadia Nadir Al-Samarrie, an Iraqi-American raised in Berkeley. We met when our kids were in kindergarten and have been close friends since. She comes from one of the oldest, most established families in Baghdad: her grandfather was responsible for bringing the first fuel oil to the people of Baghdad, so it seemed most fitting to work with her family imagery, as the war in Iraq is certainly a war over oil, as most wars are, at heart, around the control of valuable resources. I sat in Nadia's living room, drinking coffee and perusing her family photos and the exquisite garments handed down to her from the women in her family. I scanned these pieces and worked with them, much as I have worked with my Jewish-American family photos and fabrics in my Family Quilt series, begun when my daughter was young. I dedicate these prints, and my book, 'So far from heaven, ' to my mother Sonia Simmons, who taught me to see the world with wonder, and to love the colours, textures, and smells of paint, fabric, glitter and glue. She is with me daily. I send this book out into the world with deepest hope for peace in all the regions of the Middle East. And I could not have done this book without the incredible work of my friend and master printer, Gaetano DeFelice"--The Book Arts at the Centre for Fine Print Research, UK website.
Notes: Printed in an edition of 35.

Family photographs and fabrics from Nadia al-Samarrie ; printed by Gaetano De Felice ; assembled by Elly Simmons and Gaetano De Felice ; contributions by numerous writers.

Medium/materials: Archival pigmented prints in a handmade Japanese book.

On March 5th, 2007, a car bomb exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. Al-Mutanabbi Street is located in a mixed Shia-Sunni area. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. Al-Mutanabbi Street, the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, holds bookstores and outdoor bookstalls, cafes, stationery shops, and even tea and tobacco shops. It has been the longstanding heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community for centuries. In response to the attack, a San Francisco poet and bookseller, Beau Beausoleil, rallied a community of international artists and writers to produce a collection of letterpress-printed broadsides (poster-like works on paper), artists' books (unique works of art in book form), and an anthology of writing, all focused on expressing solidarity with Iraqi booksellers, writers and readers. The coalition of contributing artists calls itself Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition.

Gift; Beau Beausoleil; 2019-2020.

"Political activism, community involvement, and cultural awareness have been a part of Elly Simmon's life since childhood. Born in New York City in 1955, she grew up in San Francisco, California. Her earliest memories include participating in protest demonstrations with her parents. She was influenced by her father's progressive politics and commitment to social change, and by her mother's creativity and compassion. Her sister Maras life has also been deeply significant to Elly's approach to painting. Elly lives with her husband John, and their lively and creative daughter, Maralisa in the town of Lagunitas, California, giving her access to both the urban cultures of San Francisco and the Berkeley Oakland East Bay, as well as the beauty and community spirit of West Marin. This mix of environments and neighborhoods contributes to her strong compelling imagery. Her work is also shaped by the joyous symbols of the art of the Americas, her own Jewish culture, the commentary of political artists such as Ben Shahn, and by the rich visual diversity of San Francisco Bay Area cultures. Elly paints her love and exuberance towards life. She paints not only what brings her happiness, but also what moves her to sorrow or to anger. She paints to protest injustice, but also to celebrate the beauty of existence"--The artist's website (viewed July 21, 2015).