Lucy Gellman Photos.
The sunbird spread its wings over the crowd, electric blue and visible from a block away. Beneath it, a knot of people seemed to undulate, heads bobbing as they carried it on a wooden platform. Above them, signs that read "Let Gaza Live!" bobbed against the sky. As it moved forward behind them, it looked as if the bird was about to take flight.
Sunday afternoon, over 1,000 protesters gathered on the New Haven Green—and then in the city's streets—to speak, chant, and march in support of Palestine as the Israel-Hamas War nears the seven-month mark. Among them, dozens of artists turned the action into a sort of art installation, complete with kites, paintings, flags, banners, Papier-mâché puppets and at least one quilt.
Allison Hornak, who has held weekly art builds at their Erector Square studio, said that all of the work represented a collaborative effort. In the past weeks, artists have also gathered at Beinecke Plaza, Yale's Cross Campus, and MakeHaven to create work for Palestine: read about that here and here.
The war, which has been marked by Israel's bombing of Palestinian civilians, international aid workers, journalists and thousands of young children, has reached a death toll of over 34,000, including over 12,000 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It follows Hamas' Oct. 7 sudden and violent attacks on Israel, which left roughly 1,200 Israelis dead and over 240 hostages in captivity. Of those 240, 136 hostages remain unaccounted for in Gaza.
