Jane Irish

Click to read “Beautiful Wreckage” by W.D. Ehrhart.

Jane Irish’s new show War Is Not What You Think will be up until March 29 at La Salle University Art Museum and at the Connelly Library.   Jane collaborated with John Baky’s collection Imaginative Representations of the Vietnam War.

She painted watercolors and fired vases illustrating poets from the collection such as David Connolly and Philadelphia’s own John Balaban and W.D. Ehrhart.   Her collaborations with Bill and David evoke the Viet Nam Veterans Against the War, subjects of her 2005 show Operation Rapid American Withdrawal.

Click to enlarge “Some Things Can’t be Handled” vase with David Connolly poem.

John’s translations from Vietnamese hang with artifacts from that country.   Jane lays out riches which scholars travel across the world to dig from Connelly.

Director John Baky started the collection thirty years ago as a librarian.  He had served as a military policeman in Viet Nam.

Library director John Baky with artist Jane Irish at center.  Poet W.D. Ehrhart at far left with curator Carmen Vendalin.  Poet John Balaban at far right with museum director Klare Scarborough.  Installation watercolor in background.

He has steadily collected the range of the American imagination of that other country.   Jane’s show includes a display of Connelly holdings with research products.

War is not what you think.  It is what many other people think, the reality of whose fantasies Jane and John display.

Viet Nam Literature Project blogs about our encyclopedia, our comics and translations as we develop our university program. Donors receive our print newsletter and annual comic book

2 thoughts on “Jane Irish”

    1. Hi, I have been out of the office for a few months. I am so glad you found the site useful. We will start publishing again this fall. Best wishes on your project – Dan

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