(Clearwisdom.net) The first "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition was held in Walker Memorial at MIT from December 16 to December 19, 2004. The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and four state legislators issued recognitions to Falun Dafa and its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, for their contribution to the humanities in Massachusetts.

Recognitions issued to Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa by Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Francis Galvin, State Senator, Sue Tucker, State Senator, Richard R. Tisei, State Representative, Mark J. Carron and State Representative, Mark V. Falzone

On the last day of the exhibition, Falun Gong practitioners Steve, Rodin and little Doudou went to distribute flyers on a bus. As soon as they got on the bus, a girl asked them, "What is in your hands?" Steve told her about the art exhibition and Falun Gong. She was very excited and asked several questions loudly. Half of the people on the bus came over to listen. Steve told the story of little Doudou, about the persecution of Falun Gong in China and the overseas rescue efforts. Everyone on the bus could hear his explanation. On their return trip, the practitioners happened to see the same girl at the bus stop. She happily went to see the art exhibition with them, learned the exercises and played with Doudou. The young woman spent more than two hours at the exhibition. She said it was a great experience and that she would go to a group practice site to learn the exercises in more depth.

Little Doudou and her new friend do the exercises together

An elderly man came to the exhibition despite the chilly wind. He said, "I read every issue of Epoch Times. I saw the advertisement for the art exhibition in the paper and came over from my apartment." The gentleman was close to ninety. His eyes widened when he saw the paintings. A guide asked him if he could see clearly. He said he could see and hear very clearly. He kept praising the paintings and Master Li, and said, "Your teacher is great! A great man!" When he saw a painting called "Rotating a Huge Falun," he asked, "Is Mr. Li safe? Is his family safe?" The guide was very moved by the gentleman's concern and answered, "Mr. Li is doing well." It was pretty late when the man finished his tour. He thanked the guide and left in the darkness.

On Saturday evening, Falun Gong practitioners showed the award-winning movie Sandstorm to expose the persecution of Falun Gong in China. The audience was greatly shaken and remained silent after the movie was over. After the movie, Falun Gong practitioners recounted the history of Falun Gong over the past five years. The audience asked many questions. The whole presentation deepened their understanding of the persecution and of righteous faith when they visited the art exhibition. Many of them couldn't believe that such a persecution was still happening and couldn't understand why people hadn't done something to stop it. One person was very angry about the persecution and kept saying that the CCP was shameless. An MIT student said he would show the movie to other students when the spring semester started.

This art exhibition, together with the "Uncompromising Courage" art exhibit and a "Contemporary Celebrated Artists' Authentic Works" art exhibition at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, last for two weeks. It was made possible through the collective efforts of many Falun Gong practitioners. They all felt happy to be doing their part in helping with the exhibition. As practitioner Mike said, "It has been a very pleasant experience these past few days. Everyone who came was predestined to learn about Falun Dafa." He planned to write about the moving stories related to the exhibitions.