An exhibit of Palestinian children’s artwork illustrating the Gaza War was shown in an outdoor venue after a California children’s museum cancelled the display under pressure from the community.

The exhibit of artwork created by children aged 9 to 11, titled “A Child’s View From Gaza,” whose pictures showed bombs falling and people being struck by them, and tanks firing, was displayed Aug. 24 in a downtown Oakland courtyard and will be displayed for two months in a space a one-minute walk from the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland, which canceled the original show, scheduled to open in mid-September.

The exhibit was organized by the Middle East Children’s Alliance.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Alliance told the Oakland Tribune that the children’s museum approached them on Sept. 22 about rescheduling the cancelled event.

A statement from museum board member Randolph Belle explained:

“When we canceled the exhibit ‘A Child’s View from Gaza’ earlier this month, we did so both because we lacked a formal policy for sensitive content, and because we were not confident that we had the resources to deal with the numerous concerns we received regarding the exhibit. In response to input from the community and careful consideration by our board of directors and staff, the Museum of Children’s Art has developed a new policy governing the exhibition of items with sensitive content.”

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount