On Again, Off Again Israel Map Exhibit is Off Again

The controversial map exhibit Imaginary Coordinates at Chicago's Spertus Museum was abruptly closed on Friday the Chicago Tribune reports. The exhibit had angered the city's Jewish community with at least one member of the museum's board threatening to resign if the exhibit stayed open. The Tribune quoted Rhoda Rosen, director of the museum, as saying that the exhibit was about mapping as a "culturally constituted practice, rather than as a navigational instrument."

However, Michael Kotzin, a leader of Chicago's Jewish community told the Tribune that while many pieces highlighted Palestinian humanity, others portrayed Israelis as unfeeling and guarded, without noting the dangers Israelis have faced for decades.

The map exhibit generated controversy at its opening on May 2nd and temporarily closed a week later. A new version reopened on May 15th

See also: Mapping Middle East Politics.

Via: The Map Room.