Art by concentration camp prisoners on display for 1st time in America at Orchard Lake St. Mary's

ORCHARD LAKE, Mich. (WXYZ) - There is a reason it is being called "Forbidden Art."

"Concentration Camp prisoners were not allowed to paint, draw pictures, or record their experience in any way" says Orchard Lake St. Mary's Galeria Director Evelyn Bachorski-Bowman.

That's what makes the new exhibition at the Polish Mission Galeria a monumental experience.

Action News was there when the first of the pieces came in from customs.  It is called the "Forbidden Art Exhibition."  Starting tomorrow, people across metro Detroit will have the opportunity to take in the stories and see the art Polish prisoners at Auschwitz created secretly.

 The Auschwitz-Birkenau Sate Museum in Poland hand picked 20 pieces out of its 6,000 artifacts to be shipped to Orchard Lake St. Mary's Campus for display as the premier American location.

There will also be works from a survivor of five different death camps named Jan Komski, whose water colors and drawings are now lining the walls.

The "Forbidden Art" Exhibit will be on display at the Polish Mission Galeria for the next two weeks.

It's next stop is Wayne State University, before heading to South Africa and Austria.