the jerusalem fund gallery
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The Jerusalem Fund Gallery. Showcasing the finest Palestinian and Arab visual, performing and literary arts in Washington, DC. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Jerusalem Fund Gallery
Showcasing the finest Palestinian and Arab
visual, performing and literary arts
in Washington, DC.
The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development was founded
in 1977 as a private non-profit organization committed to enhancing
the lives of Palestinians and to communicating reliable and timely information about the Palestinian
experience.
In 1998, the Fund initiated a cultural program, designed to build bridges of understanding to Arab and Palestinian
culture through the visual arts, literature, dance, music, film and other special events.
The Gallery holds bi-monthly exhibits throughout the year which showcase the
contemporary arts of Arab and Arab-American artists. It is the only Gallery in the
United States with a specific emphasis on exhibiting Palestinian art.
The Gallery has exhibited works by such notable artists as Emily Jacir, Leila Kubba, Rajie Cook, Kamal Boullata, and Tayseer
Barakat, among many others.
The power of the written word in communicating the Palestinian story is undeniable. The Gallery has hosted well-known authors, poets and playwrights such as Naomi Shihab Nye, Nathalie Handal and Betty Shamieh, whose works reflect the complexities of the Palestinian identity and experience.
The Gallery has affirmed the significance of the traditional Palestinian ‘dabkeh’ or folkloric dance through holding dabkeh instructional classes and hosting dance troupes.
In 2005, Palestine’s leading dance troupe,
El-Funoun, performed to a sold-out audience in Washington, DC. El-Funoun’s repertoire
expresses the spirit of Arab-Palestinian folklore and contemporary culture through
unique combinations of traditional and stylized dance and music.
Over the past decade and with increased access to technology and film editing
software, there has been marked a rise in the numbers of Palestinian film directors
creating powerful features, documentaries and short films.
The Gallery holds an annual summer film series over eight weeks screening the
latest films from Palestine.
Whether the mood is expressive or reflective, joyful or somber, celebratory or spiritual, music is a universal language that impacts its hearers all over the world. In Arab and Palestinian culture, it occupies a place of prominence.
The Gallery has helped to organize larger-scale concerts for such musical greats as Marcel Khalife
as well as more intimate recitals with Syrian violinist Aban Zirikly and the Middle Eastern jazz group Shusmo.
In addition to these regular and ongoing
events, the Gallery periodically hosts special events on specific occasions.
Iftar dinner
A community event designed to introduce people
to the cultural customs
associated with the holy month of Ramadan and to a variety of foods in
a festive atmosphere.
The Annual Souk and Olive Harvest Celebration
Held in December, this popular event draws hundreds from the community for a day-long
‘souk’ experience. Vendors sell arts and crafts from around the Middle East. The souk
features live music, henna painting, coffee, sweets and the sales of Palestinian olive oil
imported from Palestine.
The Gallery partners with other Arab
organizations such as Georgetown’s Center
for Contemporary Arab Studies,
the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Commmittee, and American Near East
Refugee Aid, to bring larger-scale cultural productions to the
DC area.
The Gallery has also increased its visibility through fostering connections with
Washington, DC’s cultural institutions such as
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
and the Smithsonian Associates Program.
The Gallery strives to provide most of its cultural programming free to the public. Please consider giving generously to this
important program that builds critical bridges of understanding through the arts and communicates the Palestinian story in all of its vibrancy, richness and splendid
cultural heritage.
Visit us online at
www.thejerusalemfund.org/gallery