|
 |
|
Embassy of Jordan - Washington, DC
Information Bureau
jordaninfo@aol.com
202-265-1606
www.jordanembassyus.org
February 23, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jordan participates in the
Kennedy Center’s Arabesque festival
Washington, DC - From February 23 to March 15,
2009, the Kennedy Center will present Arabesque: Arts of
the Arab World; an unprecedented three-week celebration
of Arab arts and culture that includes music, dance,
theatre as well as exhibitions of art, jewelry, fashion,
photos, and cuisine representing the twenty-two members
of the Arab League. The festival is presented in
cooperation with the League of Arab States.
Jordan is a major participant at Arabesque in its
various components; music, art, and fashion. Jordanian
musical talent will be represented by the award winning
group RUM, led by Tareq Al Nasser and directed by Russol
Al Nasser. The group, which now includes more than
twenty members, explores Oriental and Western traditions
to form a new listening and imaginative experience.
One of the major features of the festival is the unique
and celebrated exhibition of women artists from the
Islamic world; “Breaking the Veils,” which is in turn
inspired and spearheaded by Her Royal Highness Princess
Wijdan Al Hashemi. The exhibition brings together work
of female artists from the Arab world and beyond in an
attempt to break the stereotypes attached to women in
the Islamic world. The exhibition includes paintings and
etchings of women artists from Jordan, Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan, Yemen, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq,
Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, the U.A. E, Syria and
Oman. The exhibition works come from the permanent
collection of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts
in Amman. The exhibit is currently on a U.S. tour, led
and presented by the ArtReach Foundation, an
Atlanta-based nonprofit.
In coordination with the Information Bureau at the
Embassy of Jordan in Washington, DC, the Kingdom is also
participating in the souk and the wedding dress
exhibition. The souk will be a centerpiece of the
Arabesque festival, representing art and handicrafts
from the Arab world. From Jordan, the souk will feature
handicrafts from the Jordan River Foundation, exquisite
jewelry by the two prominent Jordanian designers Nadia
Dajani and Lama Hourani, unique pieces of Islamic and
Arab calligraphy by the renowned Jordanian artist Farouk
Lambaz and modern artistic pieces from
Jordanian-American artists based in Maryland, Nisreen
AbuDail and Lina Mrouz. The souk will also include
vendors from other Arab countries; thereby reflecting
the richness and beauty of traditional crafts, as well
as the creativity and contemporary stylings of the Arab
world. The souk will be open daily over the course of
the festival.
A Jordanian wedding dress from the southern city of
Ma’an will represent Jordan in the especially curated
“Brides of the Arab World” exhibit. “Brides of the Arab
World” brings together more than forty elaborate and
colorful dresses traditionally worn by brides throughout
the twenty two Arab countries. The Ma’an wedding
ensemble is from the private collection of Mrs. Widad
Kawar, who during the past five decades has amassed one
of the largest collections of costumes from Jordan and
Palestine. Kawar is internationally renowned for her
efforts to research, collect, and preserve traditions
Arab handwork, and is credited with saving many regional
costumes from disappearing completely.
Commenting on the festival, His Royal Highness Prince
Zeid Ra’ad; Jordan’s Ambassador to the United States
commended the Kennedy Center for spearheading such a
“unique and impressive endeavor” that aims to “present
the complex beauty of our region and abundant talent of
our people.” He said that Jordan is “proud” to
participate in the three-week long festival that marks
the largest presentation of the Arab arts in the United
States. “We look forward to a magnificent festival and
we hope artistic talent reflected in Arabesque will
contribute to an open and candid dialogue between the
United States and the Arab world,” added Prince Zeid.
For more information contact 202-265-1606 or
jordaninfo1@aol.com
|
|
|
|
