Arts and Bridges Exhibit
September 6th, 2009 by Luke
The Interfaith Bridging Initiative (IBI), the Iraqi American Reconciliation Project (IARP), and the Sabes Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Minneapolis are pleased to announce Arts and Bridges, a project they are co-hosting. Arts and Bridges, a celebration of the power of art to overcome differences, will take place at the Sabes JCC on the Thursday evenings of October 15 and October 22, 2009.
Featuring lectures and performances of music, song and dance, the two evenings will pivot around a pair of exhibits—Near and Far and Images from Mesopotamia. Both exhibits will be on display between September 10 and October 22 at the JCC.
Near and Far, on exhibit in the Tychman Shapiro Gallery will feature prints inspired by the Galilee landscapes by Israeli artist Amos Yaskil together with black and white photographs and abstract sculpture by two local artists – Ann Ginsburgh Hofkin and Perci Chester who, while in Israel, collaborated on a cultural exchange program with Yaskil.
Images from Mesopotamia, on display in the JCC Hallway and Lobby exhibition areas will feature landscape paintings and portraits by twelve artists living and working in the Euphrates river valley in southern Iraq. Their artwork is made available in Minnesota and other parts of the United States through the work of the IARP. Proceeds from the sale of these artworks are shared by the artists with the Muslim Peacemaker Teams in Iraq, a sister organization of IARP.
In conjunction with these exhibits, and honoring the potential for deep connection among Abrahamic cultures, the Arts and Bridges project will offer the following activities:
Thursday, October 15, 2009; 6–8:30 pm
The evening will begin with music and informal tours of the open galleries, followed by a presentation on the development of Muslim and Jewish culture and art in Iraq. After the presentation: live music, a multi-faith poetry reading, and a dance performance by Les Quatre.
Thursday, October 22, 2009; 6–8:30 pm
This interactive event will feature multi-faith live music; folk dancing; letter writing to Iraqi youth under the auspices of Inspired to Serve; Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy with Adnan Al-Shati and Rani Halpern, and a tour/discussion of the Near and Far and Images from Mesopotamia exhibits.
There will be no admission charged for these events. Donations will be cordially accepted.
All events will take place at the Sabes JCC, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis, 55416.
The following organizations and individuals are official co-sponsors of the Arts and Bridges project: the Basilica of St. Mary; the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Minneapolis Synod; the Islamic Center of Minnesota; the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches; Mayim Rabim Congregation; Minnesota Rabbinic Association; Our Spiritual Center; Fatma A Reda, MD, PhD; the St. Paul Interfaith Network; the Religion and the Arts Program, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities; Walls to Bridges.
For additional information regarding these events, please contact Robyn Awend at rawend@sabesjcc.org or 952-381-3416.
Download the original flyer here.
