The Alex Odeh Memorial Statue was created by Algerian American political cartoonist and sculptor Khalil Bendib to honor slain Palestinian American civil rights advocate Alex Odeh.
Bendib proposed the idea for the memorial to Odeh’s widow in 1992.
The completed sculpture was formally offered to the City of Santa Ana and unanimously accepted by the City Council in September 1993.
The dedication ceremony took place on April 10, 1994, in front of the Santa Ana Public Library and was attended by more than 500 people, including local politicians and community activists.
In 2020 the sculpture’s dove of peace, held in Odeh’s outstretched hand, was stolen, later recovered by police, and eventually reattached to the monument. This act of vandalism is one of many that the sculpture has endured over the last 30 years.
Working with the city, Alex’s family and with Bendib’s permission, we have removed the dove once more, this time with intention and care, so it can circulate as a messenger carrying forward the story of Odeh’s life and work and the justice still yet to be delivered in his case.
By setting the dove in motion again, we invite the public to participate in a living monument- one that expands beyond the library grounds and the bronze figure into the everyday lives of those who choose to know and tell Alex’s story.
The dove began its journey with Alex’s daughter Helena and wife Norma, and is traveling ever outward to a series of homes and institutions connected to and inspired by Odeh’s legacy.
Each are temporarily hosting the dove and sharing its story with their families, friends, and communities.
After its travels, the dove will be returned to the statue.
Artist: @jonrubinstudio
Commissioning Org: @grandcentralart
Designer: @3u12
Monument sculptor: Khalil Bendib
Project Filmmaker: @jonnherschend
Special thanks to Helena @helenaodeh and Norma Odeh
Funding provided in part by @warholfoundation and the Segerstrom Foundation
Interested in hosting the Stolen Dove?
The Stolen Dove is a bronze dove removed with care from the only public monument of an Arab American in the United States — a sculpture of Palestinian American civil-rights leader Alex Odeh, who was assassinated in 1985, his killers never brought to justice.
In 2020 the dove was stolen, recovered, and restored — one of many attacks the sculpture has endured. Working with Alex’s family and the original sculptor, we have removed it once more, this time with intention, sending it out as a messenger carrying forward Odeh’s story and the justice still owed in his case.
Hosts are invited to welcome the dove into their home for an evening — a dinner with friends, a conversation with family, or a gathering with community. When the dove moves on, you will be gifted a precise handcrafted replica to keep and display. By housing it, you become part of a decentralized monument — a single dove multiplying into a flock, dispersed across the world, each holder a lasting steward of Alex’s story.
We are beginning by loaning the dove to individuals and organizations within approximately 30 miles of the monument (Santa Ana Public Library). To apply, tell us about yourself and who you might gather.
DM or contact us at [email protected] to apply or learn more.
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Artist: @jonrubinstudio
Commissioning Org: @grandcentralart
Designer: @3u12
Monument sculptor: Khalil Bendib
Special thanks to Helena @helenaodeh and Norma Odeh
Funding provided in part by @warholfoundation and the Segerstrom Foundation.
Grand Central Art Center is proud to join a coalition of 50+ regional arts organizations in supporting and helping to promote ‘Now Be Here’s’ 10-year anniversary celebration and a full day of artist-centered programming, ‘Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles,’ presented at Oxy Arts (Occidental College).
Save the Date: ‘Now Be Here’ at Oxy Arts (Occidental College)
�‘Now Be Here’ 10-Year Anniversary + Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles�May 31, 2026 | 9:00 AM–3:00 PM | Occidental College (Oxy Arts)
Are you an artist? Join us on May 31, 2026.
�The day begins with a community photo of women and non-binary artists (9:00–11:00 AM).
Following the photo, artists and arts workers of all gender expressions are invited to attend ‘Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles’ (11:00 AM–3:00 PM), featuring panel discussions and community conversations.
‘Now Let’s Talk, Los Angeles’ is made possible through generous donations by Artlogic, ArtConverge, East West Bank, and Claremont Graduate University Art Department, with thanks to Fulcrum Arts.
RSVP + details: Please visit @nowbehereart or
‘Now Be Here’ supports the practices of thousands of diverse women and non-binary artists by building community, expanding public knowledge of their work, and advancing a more equitable art world through direct outreach, public programming, and a free, global visual artist directory.
We hope to see you there!
THE STOLEN DOVE - REPLICA DOVES
MANA STUDIOS
As a major component of Jon Rubin’s ‘The Stolen Dove’ project, each family or organization that hosts the dove will convene a community gathering to share the story of Alex Odeh’s life and the ongoing pursuit of justice in his case. After passing the dove to the next host, they will receive a precise, handmade replica dove as a gift, enabling them to continue carrying the story forward. In this way, a single public sculpture of a dove multiplies into a flock, with each host becoming a long-term steward and storyteller. A vandal can deface one statue in a public park, but they cannot erase a story that lives across dozens of homes and communities.
We are truly grateful to be working with CSUF alum Jay Garcia (B.A. Illustration ’96) and his outstanding team at Mana Studios on the production of these replica doves. Established in 2004 and located just a few miles up Main Street from GCAC, Mana Studios is Jay’s full-spectrum 3D design studio—bringing ideas to life through both digital and traditional processes. From concept to completion, their expertise spans digital and traditional sculpting, molding, casting, concept art, and design. With years of industry experience, Jay and his team pair the highest-quality materials with cutting-edge techniques to achieve exceptional results. When you see the replica doves in person, you’ll understand exactly why we’re so excited to partner with Mana Studios.
Beth Harrington's documentary film "Beyond the Duplex Planet," highlighting the life’s work of artist David Greenberger, premiered last week at @sxsw.2026 ! If you’ve been in residence at @grandcentralart , you’ll recognize the apartments behind Louise Perez and David in the trailer. And if you’re familiar with our city, you might also spot images from the Santa Ana Senior Center!
Thank you, Beth and team, for documenting David’s 2017–2019 GCAC artist-in-residence project "It Happened to Me" and sharing it through your incredible film!
Sneak peek at the jurors behind OC Made 👀
The jurors came to the Fullerton Museum Center and the winners have officially been selected!
Thank you to our incredible jurors for making these hard decisions with over 100+ works to look at!
✨️ OC Made Jurors ✨️
Abel Alejandre, multidisciplinary artist
John D. Spiak, Director and Chief Curator of Grand Central Art Center
Dave Tourjé, multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of the California Locos.
Stay tuned- the award winners will be announced on Opening day!
Saturday, March 21st, 2026
Tickets available on our website and Linktree!
#ocmade #fullertonmuseum #fullertonevents
Jon Rubin’s Grand Central Art Center artist-in-residence project, The Stolen Dove, had its first public activation yesterday at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. This activation was presented in collaboration with the premiere of the powerful documentary film Who Killed Alex Odeh?, by filmmakers Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans.
We are deeply honored to have been invited to collaborate on this important moment. A heartfelt thank you to Will, Jason, Dawne, and your entire team for including us in this journey, and for the wonderful surprise of being mentioned in the film’s credits—it truly means so much to us.
Our second day of activation will take place tomorrow, and we invite you to join us at The Impact Lounge for the panel discussion, “Who Killed Alex Odeh? – Uncovering the Past to Understand the Present,” featuring William Youmans and Jason Osder (Co-Directors/Producers) and moderated by Odessa Rae, producer of Navalny.
Tuesday, January 27th
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
The Impact Lounge
2174 Sidewinder Dr.
Park City, UT
Special thanks to Norma and Helena Odeh and the City of Santa Ana, CA, for their support and collaboration in making this project possible.
Funding for The Stolen Dove is generously provided in part by The Segerstrom Foundation and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts through their support of Grand Central Art Center’s artist-in-residence program.
We look forward to continuing this meaningful journey and hope to see you tomorrow!
We’re excited to announce the launch of The Stolen Dove
~ It’s a dove that was once stolen off the only public monument of an Arab American in the United States—let me tell you the story.
In front of the Santa Ana Public Library stands a sculpture honoring Palestinian American poet, teacher, and civil-rights leader Alex Odeh, who was assassinated in 1985. Created by artist Khalil Bendib and supported by a fundraising effort led by Casey Kasem, the sculpture remains the only public monument of an Arab American in the U.S.
In 2020, the sculpture’s dove of peace, held in Odeh’s outstretched hand, was stolen, later recovered by police, and reattached. This act of vandalism is one of many that the sculpture has endured over the last 30 years. Working with the City of Santa Ana and Alex’s family, we have removed the dove once more, this time with intention and care, so it can circulate as a messenger carrying forward the story of Alex’s life, work, and the justice still undelivered in his case.
The dove will begin its journey with Alex’s daughter Helena and wife Norma, then travel ever outward to a series of homes and institutions connected to Odeh’s legacy. In June 2026, it will return to the statue.
Each host will convene a community gathering to share Alex’s story and the ongoing case. After passing the dove along, they will receive a precise replica—allowing one monument to multiply into a growing flock of long-term stewards and storytellers.
The Stolen Dove is a project by artist Jon Rubin @jonrubinstudio in collaboration with the Odeh family and Grand Central Art Center @grandcentralart
🔗 Project website in bio / stolendove.com
📍 First public activation: Sundance Film Festival, Jan 27th 🎬 In collaboration with the premiere of Who Killed Alex Odeh? @whokilledalexodeh by @jasonosder and @willlafi
Special thanks to Norma and Helena Odeh and the City of Santa Ana.
Funding provided in part by The Segerstrom Foundation and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts @warholfoundation
1st image: Helena Odeh holding the once stolen dove.
Project DP: @patrick.shirt
Project Designer: @3u12
Project Filmmaker: @jonnherschend
