Artist's Statement

To create this entry, I used sketch paper, pencil, and alcohol markers. I chose these materials because I felt as though the color and texture of the pencil would bring the gloomy, depressing mood of the gates of Auschwitz to the paper. My entry displays the famous gates of the Jewish internment camp, Auschwitz, but the original wording of the sign, “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work makes one free), is replaced with “Erinnern Hält Uns Frei,” which means “remembering keeps us free.” The dove flying out of the gate symbolizes that with peace, unity, and acceptance, we can prevent another terrible event like the Holocaust from happening again.