Arab American National Museum Convenes 5th National Forum for Arab American Artists, Scholars

posted on: Mar 19, 2013

Tony Award-winning actor/writer Suheir Hammad and Susan Abulhawa, the international best-selling author of Mornings in Jenin, are among the leading Arab American artists scheduled to appear at DIWAN5: A Forum for the Arts April 5-6, 2013 at the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, Mich.

Diwan is an Arabic word for gathering. DIWAN5: A Forum for the Arts is designed to unite Arab American artists, performers, activists and scholars representing myriad creative genres and academic fields. It allows these diverse individuals to meet, exchange ideas and exhibit their work, while also encouraging audiences to explore the boundaries of art in addressing social issues related to Arab Americans and the community at large. DIWAN5 activities include panel discussions, presentations of new art work and new research, poetry and prose readings, a large-group dialogue and performances. This year, for the first time, DIWAN includes a companion art exhibition that remains on display through Sept. 1, 2013.

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Suheir Hammad took home a 2003 Tony Award for her role in Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway; she is also the winner of the 2009 Arab American Book Award for poetry, and was featured at the inaugural TEDWomen conference in 2010. At DIWAN5, she is a panelist for the April 5 dialogue “Truth or Consequences,” about the impact of Islamophobia and the Arab Spring on the presentation of Arab art in America. Then, on April 6, Hammad pays tribute to the AANM’s outgoing founding director, Dr. Anan Ameri, with a special performance entitled Sixteen that is open only to those registered for the conference.

Susan Abulhawa, the Pennsylvania-based journalist, commentator and founder of the non-governmental organization Playgrounds for Palestine, speaks on “Literature, Narrative and Resistance” as part of an April 6 panel of Arab American authors. Her debut novel, Mornings in Jenin (Bloomsbury, 2010) – an audacious account of a Palestinian family’s suffering during 60 years of Israeli occupation – was first published in the United States in 2006 under the title The Scar of David. It has since been published in Arabic, French and 21 other languages and reissued by Bloomsbury in 2010; film rights have been sold to Filmworks Dubai.

The highly regarded San Diego multimedia artist/educator and DIWAN veteran, John Halaka, takes on multiple roles at DIWAN5: participant in the first national dialogue on mainstreaming Arab American arts (see item below); featured artist in DIWAN5: The Exhibition and its April 5 opening reception and gallery walk; and panelist in the 10 a.m. Friday, April 5 session “After Their Diaspora,” a contemplation of creative life in exile among Palestinian artists.

NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON MAINSTREAMING ARAB AMERICAN ARTS

With support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, the AANM on Thursday, April 4, convenes the first-ever national conversation to explore the challenge of increasing the public visibility of Arab American art, and the potential for collaboration between Arab American artists and mainstream venues.

This historic, invitation-only pre-DIWAN5 gathering will take the form of an intimate moderated dialogue among representatives from mainstream presenters and Arab American arts organizations in cities including Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta, as well as from southeast Michigan. Participants include Michael Orlove, director, presenting and artist communities, National Endowment for the Arts, and Jordan Elgrably, executive director, Levantine Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA (see complete participant list in Schedule of Events, below).

DIWAN5: THE EXHIBITION + OPENING RECEPTION

In conjunction with DIWAN5, the AANM proudly presents DIWAN5: The Exhibition – works by 12 Arab American artists drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition opened Friday, March 15 and runs through Sept. 1, 2013 in the Lower Level Gallery. It marks the first time the AANM has presented an exhibition in conjunction with DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts.

Recently donated works by Hanah Diab, Julienne Johnson and John Peters are making their debut, while Adnan Charara’s energetic piece, Open Minded, returns for a showing. Helen Zughaib’s vivid Prayer Rug for America is back from the Museum’s 2005 inaugural temporary exhibition, In/Visible. By spotlighting stellar works from its collection, the AANM aims to foster the creation, display and collection of Arab American art in the national Arab American community and in the American art mainstream.

A complete list of featured artists, including cities of residence, appears below in the Schedule of Events.

DIWAN5 presenters John Halaka and Reem Gibriel, both represented in the exhibition, offer a gallery walk during the 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 5 opening reception.

ENTERTAINMENT: SAADI IN CONCERT + DIWAN5 AFTER-PARTY

When the presentations and panel discussions are done, it’s time to celebrate!

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, DIWAN5 meets Global Fridays (the AANM’s world music and performance series) with the presentation of Saadi in Concert. This Syrian-born, New York City-based vocalist has been called “an electro-pop diva with an angelic voice.” Saadi comes to DIWAN5 from NYC’s East Village, to perform her musical creation that draws on such influences as Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, classic 80s synth pop, traditional Arabic music, punk rock and Nigerian music. This ticketed event is open to the public.

To cap off this creative weekend, DIWAN5 attendees will gather at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at Trinosophes, a new multi-purpose arts venue in Eastern Market, for the DIWAN5 After-Party. Live entertainment includes beatboxer extraordinaire Stevie Soul and DJ Scott Zacharias. The public is invited to attend; cover charge is $5.

ATTENDING DIWAN5: A FORUM FOR THE ARTS

All are welcome to attend DIWAN5: A Forum for the Arts; the opening reception for DIWAN5: The Exhibition; Saadi in Concert; and the DIWAN5 After-Party at Trinosophes. Conference registration is available online at www.diwanart.org and at the door. Tickets for the April 5 Global Fridays: Saadi in Concert are available online at www.arabamericanmuseum.org and at the door. There is no advance ticketing for the April 6 DIWAN5 After-Party; cover charge at the door only.

DIWAN5 registration fees:

Full Conference (April 5-6)
$50 General
$45 AANM Members
$30 Students w/ ID

Single Day (choice of April 5 or 6)
$25 General
$20 AANM Members
$15 Students w/ ID
Global Fridays: Saadi in Concert (7:30 p.m. Friday, April 5)
$10 General/$9 Museum Members + DIWAN5 attendees

DIWAN5 After-Party @ Trinosophes (9 p.m. Saturday, April 6)
Cover charge $5 at the door
Meals published in the DIWAN5 brochure and in the schedule at www.diwanart.org are included in the registration fee. Saadi in Concert requires a separate ticket; the DIWAN5 After-Party at Trinosophes requires a $5 cover charge at the door.

The April 4 national dialogue and all DIWAN5 events (except the April 6 After-Party at Trinosophes) take place at the AANM, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, Michigan, located amid the largest concentration of people of Arab descent outside the nations of the Arab World. See the Schedule of Events below or visit www.diwanart.org for further information.

Major funding for DIWAN5: A Forum for the Arts comes from the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, with additional support from the Bustan Al-Funun Fund at the Center for Arab American Philanthropy.