I am a liberal artist. Marek Cecuła about his life and remembrance of Jewish history of Kielce

INTERVIEWEE: Marek Cecuła
INTERVIEWEE’S BIOGRAPHY AND DETAILED THEMES DEVELOPMENT: sztetl.org.pl/en/oral-history...
INTERVIEWER: Józef Markiewicz
OPERATOR: Przemysław Jaczewski
RECORDING DATE: 29th August 2019
RECORDING COPYRIGHT: POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews
THE MOST IMPORTANT THEMES:
00:00:35 - Biography, family during the war, pogrom in Kielce, escape from the pogrom, identity.
00:05:38 - Thoughts about departure from Poland by the interviewee’s family, decision to leave Poland in 1960, preparations for departure, father’s death, emigration.
00:06:57 - Life in Israel, learning about family history and Jewish identity.
00:08:13 - Studying ceramic art in Jerusalem, military service, settling in a kibbutz, setting up an artistic commune.
00:10:33 - Transfer of the commune to Brazil, departure to New York.
00:11:46 - New York's artistic atmosphere in the 70s, interviewee's interest in conceptual art, work in Parsons School of Design.
00:13:10 - Coming back to Poland, changes in Poland, innovative design in Poland.
00:14:45 - Album about the Ćmielów porcelain, cooperation with the Ćmielów factory, opening a company.
00:16:10 - Story of parents’ love, father’s assimilation, marriage, life in Kielce.
00:19:48 - Father's identity, growing up in a Polish-Jewish home.
00:21:10 - Father's fate during the war, escape from the ghetto, hiding in Częstochowa, camps.
00:22:28 - Interviewee’s family contemplating the departure from Poland.
00:23:33 - Polish-Jewish identity, dedication of artistic works to remembrance and identity, attributing the function of remembrance to artistic creation.
00:30:27 - Kielce residents’ resistance to learning the truth about the Kielce pogrom.
00:32:30 - Artistic response to social disavowing the fact of pogrom.
00:35:27 - Actions in remembrance of Kielce Jews and pogrom organized, among others by the Jan Karski Society.
00:36:38 - Israelis' perception of Kielce and Polish-Jewish relations, the formative importance of staying in Israel.
00:38:30 - Inspiration for creativity in New York and Kielce.
00:38:55 - Return to Kielce, identity, passing to siblings the knowledge about Jewish part of the family, silence about Jewish origin after the war.
00:41:09 - Contact with a family in Poland, interest in the political situation in Poland.
00:45:59 - Influence of the Polish-Jewish history, plans.
00:47:50 - Father's shop with car parts.
00:48:40 - A sense of belonging to the Polish society.
00:49:07 - Feelings related to the townhouse at 7/9 Planty Street and the Menorah Monument.
00:53:15 - Former synagogue in Kielce, Hersh Zagajski’s house of prayer.
00:55:05 - An exhibition about the Jewish community of Kielce.
00:56:05 - Commemorating graves of victims of the Kielce pogrom and children shot at the Kielce Jewish cemetery.
01:01:07 - Respect for Judaism, interest in Judaism and Kabbalah.
01:03:03 - Opinion about POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, need of education.
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