MUSLIM VOICES FESTIVAL

Asia Society, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and

New York University Center for Dialogues present over 100 artists as part of

Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas

June 5–14, 2009

A ten-day, multi-venue arts festival and conference celebrating the extraordinary range of artistic expression throughout the Muslim world

Singer Youssou N’Dour, visual artist Shirin Neshat, actor Naseeruddin Shah and choreographer/dancer Sardono Kusumo highlight the festival

New York, NY/February 3, 2009 (updated 4/9/09)—In celebration of the extraordinary range of artistic expression in the Muslim world, Asia Society, BAM, and New York University Center for Dialogues announce the full lineup of events for Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas, an unprecedented ten-day festival and conference taking place June 5–14, 2009 throughout New York City. More than 100 artists and speakers from as far away as Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and as near as Brooklyn, will gather for performances, films, exhibitions, talks, and other events, ranging from the traditional (calligraphy, storytelling, and Sufi devotional voices) to the contemporary (video installations and Arabic hip-hop). Festival presentations and programs aim to present multiple perspectives from the Muslim world.

World renowned singer Youssou N’Dour will open the festival at BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Avenue) on Friday, June 5 at 8pm. Additional festival highlights will feature artists from India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Morocco, Afghanistan and Pakistan, among others. Tickets for Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas events at BAM are currently on sale at BAM.org or 718.636.4100. Tickets for Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas events at Asia Society are currently on sale at AsiaSociety.org or (212) 517-ASIA. Further information may be found at MuslimVoicesFestival.org.

In addition to the mainstage offerings and complementary education and humanities events from Asia Society, BAM, and NYU Center for Dialogues, programs associated with the Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas festival will take place at locations including: American Museum of Natural History, Austrian Cultural Forum New York, Brooklyn Museum, MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The New York Public Library.

In celebration of Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas, the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Borough Hall will be lit green from June 5—7. The color green has many significant associations in Islam and is considered auspicious.

 

 

“No more pressing issue faces the world today than the profound lack of understanding between Western and Islamic societies,” said Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai. “Most non-Muslim Americans have very limited exposure to and even misconceptions about Islam, the world’s second-largest religion.”

Mustapha Tlili, NYU Center for Dialogues Founder and Director, added, “The divide between the United States and the Muslim world is rooted in hard political issues such as the question of Palestine, the war in Iraq, relations with Iran, and other points of contention. Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas aims to help change perceptions, foster mutual understanding and respect between the two sides, and pave the way for the solution of the hard issues.”

“Asia Society, BAM and NYU Center for Dialogues would like to thank the many donors who have supported this complex and worthwhile project,” said BAM’s President Karen Brooks Hopkins. “We were brought together by a need to create common ground, and a shared feeling that the arts can play a unique and singular role in bringing people together.”

Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas originated in conversations between Mustapha Tlili and Karen Brooks Hopkins at an international conference in Kuala Lumpur organized by the NYU Center for Dialogues. Asia Society was brought in as a partner for its long history of using arts and culture to promote understanding and deeper engagement between Asia—home to two thirds of the world’s Muslim population—and the United States.

For press inquiries please contact:

Asia Society: Elaine Merguerian, at 212.327.9313 or elainem@asiasoc.org

BAM: Fatima Kafele, at 718.636.4129 x4 or fkafele@bam.org

NYU Center for Dialogues: Andrea Stanton, at 212.998.7137 or stanton@centerfordialogues.org

Programming details follow. For updates and additional background, please visit MuslimVoicesFestival.org.

Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas

June 5–14, 2009

MUSIC

Youssou N’Dour

Friday, June 5 at 8pm

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $25, 45, 55 at 718-636-4100 or www.BAM.org

BAM presents globally renowned Senegalese musician and humanitarian Youssou N’Dour and his band The Super Étoile in concert on the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House stage. Born in Dakar, Youssou Ndour has raised Senegal’s mbalax, a blend of African, Caribbean, and pop rhythms to global stature. The highest selling African pop musician of all time, he has released more than 30 albums. To kick-off Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas, N’Dour will perform songs that draw on his Islamic beliefs, African heritage, and global experiences. The evening will begin with a traditional invocation by three vocalists. N’Dour’s performance will also be preceded by a short commissioned suite by Iraqi-American composer/musician Amir El Saffar, performed by a pan-Islamic ensemble including Marina Alam, Dena El Saffar, and Dhafer Tawil, among others.

 

Sufi Music Ensembles

Saturday, June 6 at 8pm

BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $20, 30, 35 at 718-636-4100 or www.BAM.org

Based on the mystical branch of Islam, Sufi music seeks to achieve transcendence as a way to connect to God. For this program, BAM presents a unique pairing of two all-male ensembles, the Aissawa Ensemble and Al Taybah Ensemble, who will perform from this vibrant musical tradition. Established in the holy city of Fes, the Aissawa Ensemble, one of Morocco’s most accomplished Sufi ensembles, performs syncopated rhythms on traditional tables, bendirs, and trumpets. Based in Avignon, the Al Taybah Ensemble represent the growing Muslim community in France, whose varied influences enrich their musical language. A guest calligrapher and two whirling dervishes will accompany the ensembles.

Parissa: An Evening of Persian Classical Music

Thursday, June 11 & Friday, June 12 at 7:30pm

Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, 725 Park Ave (at 70th St.) New York, NY

Tickets: $25 members, students with ID and seniors; $35 nonmembers

212-517-ASIA (2742) or AsiaSociety.org

With a voice “at once refined and deeply emotional” (The Planet, Australia), renowned classical Iranian singer Parissa sings the words of the poet Rumi, accompanied by two instrumentalists on tar (traditional plucked lute) and daf (frame drum). Ethnomusicologist Stephen Blum and Ameneh Youssefzadeh provide a thoughtful overview of Persian music in a pre-performance lecture on both nights at 6pm.

Kamilya Jubran: The Maqam and Beyond

Thursday, June 11 & Friday, June 12 at 9:30pm

Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, 725 Park Ave (at 70th St.) New York, NY

Tickets: $25 members, students with ID and seniors; $35 nonmembers

212-517-ASIA (2742) or AsiaSociety.org

In Arabic classical music, a maqam (like an Indian raga or Western classical mode) shapes the melodic development of compositions. The extraordinary female vocalist Kamilya Jubran of Palestine, who is rooted in this classical tradition, infuses its ancient power with a contemporary interpretation. Singing modern poetry from Palestine, Iraq, and beyond, she gives voice to a passionate and personal program that explores the idea of “place” in shaping the stages of life.

Muslim Voices at BAMcafé Live

Friday June 12 at 9:30pm & Saturday, June 13 at 9:30pm

BAMcafé (30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY)

Tickets: Free (For information: 718.636.4100 or BAM.org)

For Muslim Voices, BAMcafé Live will present a weekend of contemporary Muslim musicians. On Friday, June 12 at 9:30pm, noted oud (a wooden stringed instrument related to the lute) rocker Brahim Fribgane will be featured, with Kashmiri-born indie alternative rock band zerobridge opening. Fribgane is in high demand for his fusion of traditional and contemporary styles, performing with such luminaries as Larry Coryell, Adam Deitch, Hassan Hakmoun, Leni Stern, Medeski, Martin & Wood, and Michael Franti. On Saturday, June 13, at 9:30pm, award-winning composer/musician Adam Matta (beatbox, theramin, samples) & Friends present a night of globally flavored hip-hop. This night will showcase the talents of Muslim-American artists such as Dr. Fawzia Afzal-Khan, Kenny Muhammad The Human Orchestra, and Nihan Devecioglu.

 

 

 

Qawwali Gospel Creation

Saturday, June 13 at 8:00pm

BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $20, 30, 35 at 718-636-4100 or BAM.org

Qawwali Gospel Creation is an evening of musical exchange between Christian/African-American gospel music and qawwali, the 700-year old tradition of Sufi praise music popular in India and Pakistan. The program will feature New Orleans gospel singer Craig Adams and the Voices of New Orleans, and Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz and his ensemble.

THEATER/DRAMA

Dastangoi: The Adventures of Amir Hamza

Sunday and Monday, June 7 & 8 at 7:30pm

Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, 725 Park Ave (at 70th St.) New York, NY

Tickets: $22 members, students with ID and seniors; $30 nonmembers.

212-517-ASIA (2742) or AsiaSociety.org

One of India’s most acclaimed film stars, Naseeruddin Shah, joined by fellow actors Daanish Hussain and Mahmood Farooqi, recount the adventures of the Prophet Muhammed’s uncle Amir Hamza in an artfully dramatized oral narrative. Exploring a fascinating world full of magic, sorcery, and tricksters, The Adventures of Amir Hamza will be performed in the rich Indian storytelling tradition of Dastangoi which dates back to medieval Iran (Persia). A rare opportunity to see this animated practice which had all but vanished by the early 20th century. In Urdu with subtitles.

Richard III: An Arab Tragedy

Tuesday, June 9–Friday, June 12

BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $25, 35, 45 at 718-636-4100 or BAM.org

Developed and originally commissioned as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival, Richard III: An Arab Tragedy places the Shakespeare tragedy within a contemporary context, while examining the relationship between the Arab world and the West. The first Arabic production of a Shakespeare play to be performed at Stratford, England, the critically acclaimed production is adapted and directed by Kuwait-born Sulayman Al-Bassam. In Arabic with English subtitles. On June 11, there is a post-show Artist Talk with Sulayman Al-Bassam and Margaret Litvin, a specialist in modern Arabic drama and political culture from Boston University.

Diponegoro: Sardono Dance Theater of Indonesia

Saturday, June 13 & Sunday, June 14 at 7:30pm

Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, 725 Park Ave (at 70th St.) New York, NY

Tickets: $22 members, students with ID and seniors; $30 nonmembers.

212-517-ASIA (2742) or AsiaSociety.org

Created by director/choreographer Sardono Kusumo, Sardono Dance Theater of Indonesia performs Diponegoro, a dance theater work depicting the 19th century Javanese prince and Muslim mystic who led a rebellion against Indonesia’s Dutch colonial rulers in the 1840s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VISUAL ART

New York Masjid: The Mosques of New York City

Friday, June 5–Sunday, June 28

BAM Natman Room, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Admission: Free and open to the public. Hours: 12noon-11pm daily. 718.636.4100 or BAM.org

This recent documentary project by Edward Grazda explores Islamic presence in New York by looking at the various places Muslims communities assemble to worship throughout the boroughs. Grazda and CUNY Professor of Architecture Jerrilynn R. Dodds not only documented the mosques and analyzed their architectural forms, but also conducted interviews with community members—in the process, revealing an alternative image of American Islam.

Sight Unseen: Video from Afghanistan and Iran

Tuesday, June 9–Sunday, September 13

Asia Society Museum, 725 Park Ave (at 70th St.) New York, NY

Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Fridays in June 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays.

Admission: $10 adults, $7 seniors, $5 students, Free to members and children under 16.

Sight Unseen is an exhibition that showcases the video works of Afghan artist Rahraw Omarzad and Iranian artist Seifollah Samadian, representing the first time either artist has been presented in a U.S. museum. Rahraw Omarzad is one of Afghanistan’s first avant-garde video artists and played an important role in establishing the Center for Contemporary Art Afghanistan (CCAA), the only not-for-profit arts organization in that country. Seifollah Samadian has worked as a cinematographer for the celebrated Iranian artist Abbas Kiarostami, and is a highly respected photographer and filmmaker.

FILM

I Bring What I Love/Youssou N’Dour

Saturday, June 6 at 8pm

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $20, $30, $40 at 718-636-4100 or www.BAM.org

BAM presents the New York premiere of the film I Bring What I Love, screened in BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House. Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the film is a portrait of Youssou N’Dour and the making of his Grammy Award-winning album Egypt—a testament to his Muslim faith and an impassioned plea for a more tolerant view of Islam. The screening will be followed by a brief performance by Youssou N’Dour. More information about the film can be found at www.IbringwhatIlove.com.

Muslim Voices: Film

Monday, June 8–Sunday, June 14

BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $11 per screening for adults; $8 for seniors 65 and over, children under twelve, and $8 for students 25 and under with valid I.D. Monday–Thursday, except holidays; $7 BAM Cinema Club members. 718-636-4100 or visit BAM.org

As part of Muslim Voices, BAM’s repertory film program BAMcinématek presents recent works from prominent Muslim filmmakers around the globe. Films include: Destiny (al-Massir) (Dir. Youssef Chahine, Egypt), Making of (Akher Film) (Dir. Nouri Bouzid, Tunisia), Leila (Dir. Dariush Mehrjui, Iran), Takva, A Man’s Fear of God (Dir. Ôzer Kiziltan, Turkey), Grand Voyage (Dir. Ismail Ferroukhi, Morocco), Love for Share(Berbagi Suami) (Dir. Nia Dinata, Indonesia), Satin Rouge (Dir. Raja Amari, France/Tunisia), Land for a Stranger (Turan al-Ghuraba’) (Dir. Samir Zikra, Syria), Heart of Jenin (Das Herz von Jenin) (Dir. Leon Geller and Marcus Vetter, Germany/ Israel/Palestine), and The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, A Torch for Peace (Dir. T.C. McLuhan, Afghanistan/India/Pakistan).

Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta

Wednesday, June 10 at 7pm

American Museum of Natural History, Lefrak Theater, Central Park West

at 79th St. New York, NY

Tickets: $17 per screening for adults; $13.50 for seniors 65 and over, children under twelve

at 212-769-5200 or www.amnh.org/programs

For five days each year, 3 million Muslims make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, fulfilling the fifth pillar of Islam known as the hajj. Shot in breathtaking IMAX, Journey to Mecca is the extraordinary adventure story of a young man named Ibn Battuta and his epic and perilous journey in 1325 from Morocco east the sacred city. As the camera soars over vast Sahara sands, alongside caravans stretching to the horizon, and enters the Grand Mosque itself, viewers are able to witness the spectacular pageant of devotion and one of the longest running gatherings of people on earth.

LECTURES/TALKS/SPOKEN WORD

Shirin Neshat: The House Is Black

Monday, June 8 at 7pm

BAMcafé, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets: $10, ($5 for Friends of BAM). 718-636-4100 or BAM.org

Iranian-American filmmaker Shirin Neshat presents a rare screening of pre-revolutionary Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad’s landmark short film The House Is Black (1962), which has had a profound influence on the New Wave in Iranian cinema as well as Neshat’s work. Neshat, whose work has been inspired by Farrokhzad, will also present excerpts of her own films. Reception follows.

Reza Aslan in Conversation with Vishakha Desai

Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30pm

Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, 725 Park Ave (at 70th St.) New York, NY

Tickets: $10, members, students with ID and seniors; $15 nonmembers 212-517-ASIA (2742) or AsiaSociety.org

Acclaimed Iranian-American author and scholar of religions Reza Aslan (No god but God) discusses Islam today in the context of history, faith, ideology and culture. In conversation with Asia Society President, Vishakha Desai, they explore historic patterns of interaction between the Muslim World and the United States, and the potential to build new and more meaningful relationships, particularly for the next generation.

Chaikhana/Tea House

Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30pm

Asia Society Rose Conference Hall, 725 Park Ave (at 70th St.) New York, NY

Tickets: $10 members, students with ID and seniors; $15 nonmembers 212-517-ASIA (2742) or AsiaSociety.org

Through the ages, the Muslim world’s tea houses, royal courts and drawing rooms have served as popular salons for storytelling in the form of recited or sung poetry. This event provides an opportunity to hear poems and stories on subjects ranging from mysticism to love to social and political commentary.

 

 

 

 

 

CONFERENCE

Bridging the Divide between the U.S. and the Muslim World Through Arts and Ideas: Possibilities and Limitations

Friday, June 5–Sunday, June 7

Presented by NYU Center for Dialogues at The Brooklyn Marriott

NYU Center for Dialogues presents Bridging the Divide Between the U.S. and the Muslim World Through Arts and Ideas: Possibilities and Limitations, an academic, cultural, and policy conference held in conjunction with Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas. The conference will include approximately 50 artists, producers, religious and community leaders, scholars, curators, and policy makers from the Muslim world and the United States. It will blend performance, panelist presentations, and group discussions to spark conversations about how the rich artistic expressions of Muslim cultures might re-invigorate relations between the United States and the Muslim world. This conference is by invitation only. The opening session, June 6 at 9am, will be open to the public via registration on the NYU Center for Dialogues website or email to info@centerfordialogues.org.

OUTDOOR MARKET/SOUK

Souk

Saturday, June 6 from 12noon–10pm

Sunday, June 7 from 12noon–8pm

BAM (Ashland Pl between Hanson St and Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY)

Tickets: Free and open to the public

On June 6 & 7, the area surrounding BAM will be transformed into a vibrant souk, or open-air market, featuring more than 150 vendors offering food, arts, and crafts from diverse Muslim cultures. The market will also include craft demonstrations, hands-on workshops, exhibits and outdoor performances.

PARTNER EVENTS

Exhibition: The Seen and the Hidden: (Dis)covering the Veil

May 21–Aug 29

Austrian Cultural Forum, 11 East 52nd Street, New York, NY (acfny.org)

Monday–Saturday 10am–6pm. Admission: free

This trans-cultural exhibition explores the questions and tensions surrounding the Muslim practice of veiling through the eyes of contemporary artists from the Middle East, Europe, and New York.

Installation: Masterpieces of Islamic Calligraphy from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jun 2–Sept 1

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd St, New York, NY (metmuseum.org)

Tuesday–Thursday 9:30am–5:30pm; Friday and Saturday 9:30am–9pm; Sunday 9:30am–5:30pm. Suggested contribution: $20 adults, $15 seniors, $10 students, free to members, children under 12

Masterpieces of calligraphy from the Islamic Art Department’s collections will be on display for a period of three months, showcasing the calligraphic art of the Islamic world, from Spain to south Asia and beyond. The works, ranging in date from the 8th to the 19th century, will include several richly illuminated Qur’anic manuscripts, as well as sumptuous album pages in a variety of scripts, examples of inlaid metalwork, fine ceramics, and rare textiles with calligraphic elements. Many calligraphic scripts from early kufic to the later refined nasta‘liq, will be shown in a range of media, demonstrating the impact and importance of this most quintessential of art forms.

 

 

 

Exhibition: Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam

Jun 5–Sept 6

Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY (brooklynmuseum.org)

Wednesday–Friday: 10am–5pm; Saturday–Sunday: 11am–6pm

Suggested contribution: $8 adults, $4 seniors

This installation will feature approximately twenty-five objects from the collections of the Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and private collections. Inspired by Sufi ideologies and the poetry of celebrated mystics such as Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–1273), artists from the medieval Islamic period through the present day have produced works of art ranging from ceramic and metal wares to illustrated manuscripts and photographs. The theme of light, an important theme of Sufism, will be emphasized throughout, both literally and in its figurative or spiritual sense. Highlights include an extraordinary gilded and enameled glass lamp from Egypt inscribed with the famous “Light Verse” from a chapter of the Qur’an (Surat al-Nūr); a silver- and copper-inlaid brass candlestick base made in northern Mesopotamia (southwestern Turkey) in the thirteenth century; illustrated manuscripts of well-known Sufi literature from Iran and India; and luster-painted ceramic tiles that once adorned the walls of Sufi shrines in Iran. Complementary program: On June 6, the Museum’s Target First

Saturdays program will present a day of music, film screenings, and discussions that highlight key themes.

Exhibition: Perspectives: Women, Art and Islam

Jun 6–Aug 15

Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art & Museum for African Art

80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, NY (mocada.org)

Wed –Sun: 11am–6pm

Suggested donation: $4 adults, $3 students, free to children 12 and under

This exhibition, held in collaboration with the Museum for African Art, showcases the works of five female artists of varied experiences, whose major connection is their personal relationships to Islam. Visitors have the opportunity to engage with work that challenge preconceived notions of what it means to be a Muslim, a woman, and a visual artist. Spanning three continents and the mediums of video, photography, and installation, Persepectives allows these artists to visually discuss the influence of Islam on their work. Featured Artists include: Fariba Alam, Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Mahwish Chisty, Safaa Erruas and Nsenga Knight. Complementary programs, June 6–15 include an artist’s talk, screenings of films by Muslim women directors/producers/writers, children’s programs and more.

Debates, discussions and conversations: Islam in Europe

INSULT: Fractured States?

Jun 9–11

The New York Public Library's Celeste Bartos Forum

East 42nd Street entrance just off Fifth Avenue (nypl.org/live)

Tickets: $15 for the general public, $10 for library donors, senior and students with ID

Through a series of conversations, debates and discussions with leading European thinkers and their American counterparts, the Library will examine the diverging ways Europe does and does not recognize Islam as part of its own heritage. Discussions will focus on how Europe’s largely secular society has reacted to its growing and dynamic new Muslim population; how successful Muslim integration in different European countries has been; have terrorist attacks in recent years in Europe, when committed by European born Muslims, inspired “justified” fears or have they been exploited as a pretext for Islamophobia? These series of discussions follow the animated and at times fierce ongoing debate taking place in Europe and around the world as intellectuals of all stripes examine the role of “Islam in Europe” as part of a wider debate on Islam’s relation to the West. This event is organized with the European Union National Institutes for Culture in New York (EUNIC New York).

 

PUBLIC TELEVISION

Watch WNET Channel THIRTEEN for a rich array of programming presented in conjunction with Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas. Visit thirteen.org/muslimvoices for a complete schedule and also watch

SundayArts (Sundays at noon on THIRTEEN) for festival news and highlights.

Highlights include:

Reel 13 Indies: Confessions of a Gambler

Saturday, June 13 at 10:55pm

Wide Angle: Dishing Democracy*

Monday, June 8 at 10pm

America at the Crossroads: Stand-Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age*

Wednesday, June 10 at 10pm

Wide Angle: Class of 2006*

Friday, June 12 at 10pm

On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly*

Sunday, June 14 at 11:30pm

*Check www.thirteen.org for late night repeats.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS

Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of the United States and Asia. The Society seeks to increase knowledge and enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts, and culture. Through the presentation of groundbreaking museum exhibitions and cultural programs, Asia Society provides a forum for both traditional and contemporary Asian artistic expressions. Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is a nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C. For more information visit AsiaSociety.org.

Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is recognized internationally for its innovative programming of dance, music, theater, music-theater, opera, and film. BAM presents leading national and international artists and companies in its annual Spring Season and highlights groundbreaking, contemporary work in the performing arts with its Next Wave Festival each fall. Founded in 1983, the Next Wave is one of the world's most important festivals of contemporary performing arts. BAM Rose Cinemas features new, independent film releases and BAMcinématek—a curated, daily repertory film program.

BAM also serves New York City's diverse population through a weekend concert series in BAMcafé, community events, literary series, artist talks, and a wide variety of educational programs. BAM, America's oldest performing arts center in continuous operation, has presented performances since 1861, and attracts an audience of 500,000 people each year. The institution is led by President Karen Brooks Hopkins and Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo—each of whom has been associated with BAM for more than twenty-five years. For more information visit BAM.org.

NYU Center for Dialogues is an institution of New York University dedicated to knocking down the walls of misunderstanding between the Islamic world, the United States, and other Western countries and replacing them with bridges of knowledge, mutual respect, and reason. Founded in the aftermath of the Sept 11, 2001 tragedy by Director Mustapha Tlili, the NYU Center for Dialogues has established a reputation on both sides of the Muslim-Western divide. Its conferences are widely discussed in international policy circles and its publications are used as educational materials in university classrooms, while its initiatives have contributed to new connections made at the institutional and individual levels. Tlili is a NYU research scholar and Senior Fellow at the university’s Remarque Institute. He is a former senior UN official, having served as director for communications policy at the UN Department of Public Information, director of the UN information center for France, and chief of the Namibia, Anti-Apartheid, Palestine, and decolonization programs in the same department. For more information visit centerfordialogues.org.

credits

Asia Society, BAM, and NYU Center for Dialogues are the partners for Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas.

Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas associate partners are American Museum of Natural History, Austrian Cultural Forum, Brooklyn Arts Council, Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum for African Art, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), The New York Public Library, and the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC).

WNET and The New York Times are the media partners for Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas.

Major support for Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas is provided by: Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation’s New York City Cultural Innovation Fund, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Additional support is provided by: Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The Pluralism Fund, The Reed Foundation, Lisina M. Hoch, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Asian Cultural Council, Kite Foundation, ArteEast, Amita and Pernundu Chatterjee, Con Edison, New York Community Trust, New York State Council on the Arts, PARSA Community Foundation, Zain, Anonymous, Cosmic Picture, and Hazen Polsky Foundation

Youssou N’Dour and Muslim Voices film series are part of Diverse Voices at BAM presented by TimeWarner Inc.

 

 

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