The Legacy of Janusz Korzcak
Artist: William Grabowski
“Witness to a Journey”
The life of Janusz Korczak celebrates the noblest aspects of the human spirit. By choosing to dedicate his life to champion the validity of children lives he leaves a legacy which helps re-affirm the value of each of our lives.
I chose to mark his journey by creating an art piece using the form of a window – an object that holds many possibilities. Windows permit us access to the outside world, yet if we chose, keeps us safely inside. No doubt many saw the gallant parade he led through the streets of Warsaw. I wonder how many choose the safety found behind drawn curtains in darkened windows – drawing veils over lives that marched courageously to their end.
I used images I shot in Auschwitz and Warsaw, symbolically tracing paths and feelings throughout the Ghetto, as well as a map documenting his actual trek. Blades of withered grass I picked from the ground at Auschwitz are placed in the lower right panel to mark the start of this visual journey. Some of the children’s faces whose lives he touched and teachers who worked by his side flank the window, along with an image of the broken city of Warsaw. Using printed transparencies, decal transfers, and photos, I hoped to show ways images overlap in our lives to create lasting impressions of indelible experiences. Often times these experiences create a mental mosaic of fragmented images that find a place in our memory. An abandoned window helped to re-invent those experiences.