August 6th
“I Care” Community Dinner Zaman International Hope for Humanity. Zaman International would be grateful to have your support which will undoubtedly ensure continued success and assist in maintaining Zaman’s commitment to providing financial assistance, medical relief, and basic necessities to those less fortunate in the global community. Islamic Center of America, 313-581-1652, www.zamaninternational.org.

August 7th
Saint Rafka Maronite Mission is holding its Annual Church Picnic on Sunday, August 7. A fun day that will start spiritual and end social and fun. Come join us and let us pray and have fun together as one family. (734) 674-9991

August 13th-20th
Simon Shaheen’s Annual Arabic Music Retreat. Arab musician and composer Simon Shaheen invites students, performers, and scholars of Arabic music to the Fifteenth Annual Arabic Music Retreat at Mount Holyoke College. www.simonshaheen.com/arabic-music-retreat. (617) 512-8122

August 18th
It’s back, by popular demand! The AANM’s Iftar Dinner & Movie takes place on the first night of Ramadan, Thursday, August 18. It begins at 7 p.m. www.arabamericanmuseum.org/iftar.dinner.movie.2011

August 21st
Ramallah Club of Detroit Annual Picnic by Ramallah Club of Metro Detroit. nmashni@sbcglobal.net

August 25th
Join NAAPOC at our monthly business mixer at Caspian Restaurant in Irvine, CA. Meet new people and grow your business. Visit www.NAAPOC.org or call 714-612-0157 for more info.

Related posts:

1. Dr. Nabil Azzam and MESTO to perform at NAAPOC 10/22/11 Meet The Professionals Dinner Further serving the Arab-American Community in social, cultural and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. NAAPOC Hosts Iftar Dinner, Mixer at Caspian Restaurant By MIKE NALLY Staff Writer Want to be part...
2. Why Join NAAPOC? By Sami Bishara Mashney EDITOR-IN-CHIEF More than six years ago,...
3. Dr. Nabil Azzam and MESTO to perform at NAAPOC 10/22/11 Meet The Professionals Dinner Further serving the Arab-American Community in social, cultural and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Download a pdf of the 2011 DIWAN brochure HERE.

Full Schedule:

Friday, March 25, 2011

8:30-9 a.m. Registration

9-9:30 a.m. WELCOME (Recital Hall)

Holly Arida, DIWAN coordinator, Arab American National Museum
Anan Ameri, director, Arab American National Museum
Mehdi Bozorgmehr co-director, MEMEAC

9:30 -11 a.m. REFLECTIONS ON ELEVEN SEPTEMBER (Recital Hall)
As we approach the 10-year anniversary, Arab American visual artists and writers grapple with 9/11 in their work

Moderator Lama Mansour
Eleven Reflections on September Andrea Assaf
Explosives Called Words—Arab American Writers Grapple with Terrorism Andrea Shalal-Esa
Quest to Belong Ayad Alkadhi

9:30 -11 a.m. THE STORIES WE TELL (Room C198)
Arab Americans convey their truth through emerging mediums of installation art, film and the graphic novel

Moderator Devon Akmon
The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories Marguerite Dabaie
New York Chronicles Maymanah Farhat
Stories from Studio Haret el Yahoud: An Egyptian-American Artist Meets her Neighbors Nada Shalaby

11:-11:15 a.m. Break

11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. CHANGING THE DIALOGUE (Recital Hall)
Artists use language to redirect discourse on Arab America

Moderator Mike Mosallam
Changing the National and Global Dialogue through Theatre, with Nancy Vitale and Maha Chehlaoui of Noor Theatre
Becoming American, Prose, Poems and Paintings Ibtisam Barakat
Hip Hop and Identity Maytha Alhassen
And It Don’t Stop – Hip Hop as a Means of Criticism of Global Marginalization in Suheir Hammad’s breaking poems Katharina Motyl

11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. EDUCATION AS ART (Room C198)
From public television to high school and university classrooms, artists shape the next generation’s perceptions about Arab Americans

Moderator Dr. Christa Salamandra
Representing Arabs in a Positive Light Though Children’s Entertainment Shabnam Rezaei and Aly Jetha
Written on the Body Randa Jarrar
Arab American High School Juniors Reflect on their Experience of Arab American Art and Literature in their K-12 Education Taher Dahleh, Rami Benayad-Cherif, Deema Dahleh

12:45-2 p.m. Lunch

2-3:30 p.m. ONE-WOMAN SHOW: FEMALE, FREEDOM, AND FADWA (Recital Hall)
Spotlighting successful shows that Arab American women have brought to the stage to tell their stories across the country

Moderator Leila Buck
Everyone Has Tears Cynthia Sophiea with Zafer Tawil
I Heart Hamas and Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You Jennifer Jajeh
Lend me an ID Nora Armani

2-3:30 p.m. UNCONFERENCE SESSION (Room C198)
Our audience chooses topics around Arab American art for an open dialogue

Moderator Devon Akmon

3:30-5 p.m. WE ARE THE EARTH: HOME, HOMELESSNESS AND TERRAIN, A READING (Recital Hall)
Some of our finest poets contemplate frequent themes that frame the Arab American experience

Moderator Khaled Mattawa
Elmaz Abinader
Deema K. Shehabi
Hayan Charara

Saturday, March 26, 2011

9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. REGISTRATION & WELCOME (Recital Hall)

Anan Ameri, director, Arab American National Museum

10-11:30 a.m. CONVERGING ON ARAB AMERICAN MUSIC (Recital Hall)
How music gives voice to modern and classical Middle Eastern culture

Moderator Taoufik Ben Amor
An Arab American Voice in Film Music Kareem Roustom
On the Convergence Liberation of Maqam, Flamenco, and Jazz Systems Hafez Modrizadeh
The Iraqi Maqam: Musical Structure and Cultural Synthesis Amir ElSaffar

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch

1-2 p.m. PERFORMANCE BY THE PHILADELPHIA ARAB MUSIC ENSEMBLE (Recital Hall)
Led by Music Director Hanna Khoury, featuring Percussion Director Hafez El Ali Kotain and formed by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, this community ensemble of singers and instrumentalists performs a selection of music from Lebanon and Egypt by composers such as Marcel Khalife, Muhammad Abdel Wahab and Sayyed Darwish.

2-3:30 p.m. ART AS INTERVENTION (Recital Hall)
Artists intervene in the reality of war and conflict through multimedia arts, sculpture and film

Moderator Holly Arida
Mapping: Un/Real Cityscapes The Beyrouth: Baghdad Project Youmna Chlala and Dena Al-Adeeb
Responding to the War on Gaza: From Emotion to Metaphor, from Sentiment to Symbol Reem Gibriel
Wounds of the Heart: An Artist and her Nation John Halaka

3:30-4:30 p.m. 2011 DIWAN KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY PROF. JOSEPH MASSAD (Recital Hall)
Introduction by Ahmed Issawi, ALWAN for the Arts

Joseph Massad is associate professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia University. He is author of Desiring Arabs (2007), which was awarded the Lionel Trilling Book Award; The Persistence of the Palestinian Question: Essays on Zionism and the Palestinian Question (2006), and Colonial Effects: The Making of National Identity in Jordan (2001). Professor Massad is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Palestine Studies, and is the book review editor for the journal. He is the author of tens of academic articles and is also columnist for the Egyptian Al-Ahram Weekly and for the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.

7-11 p.m. 2011 DIWAN AFTER-PARTY

KINAN AZMEH’S CITY BAND
and
AlSarah & The Nubatones
plus
DJ Seif Al-Din

(DROM, 85 Ave. A between 5th & 6th Sts.)
Presented by FEN Magazine

Click HERE to learn more about the performers and to buy advance tickets, $10, online.

Celebrate DIWAN’s New York debut at this festive affair featuring the worldly jazz of Kinan Azmeh’s City Band and the soulful sounds of Alsarah & The Nubatones, with DJ Seif Al-Din spinning in between sets. Experience a never-before-heard collaboration between some of Arab America’s finest artists.

Tickets are $10 in advance; $15 at the door the night of the event.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Noon-2 p.m. IN THE CROSSING, A new play by Leila Buck
The Living Theatre
21 Clinton Street at East Houston
New York, NY 10009
Subway: F to 2nd Avenue; Bus: M21 to Houston, M9 to Avenue B

Click HERE to buy advance tickets, $18, online.

Welcome to the annual gathering of the International Society for Intercultural Dialogue and Education!  Leila, a Lebanese-American writer/performer, and her husband Adam, an artist from a Jewish family, have been invited here by Joan, the president of the board (and Adam’s aunt) to present their experiences in Lebanon during the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war.  But as the evening unfolds in unexpectedly humorous and dangerous ways, the biggest conflict this family must face is the one between them. An interactive dialogue about the personal in the political, and how their intersection shapes who we are.

Written and Performed by Leila Buck
With Adam Green, Kathryn Kates, and Maya Serhan
Directed and developed by Shana Gold

Related posts:

1. Arab American Artists Address 9-11 Anniversary, Current Arab World unrest at NYC Conference By Kim Silarski The Arab American National Museum (AANM)...
2. Calendar of Events August 4th-7th The Midwest Federation 75th Annual Convention. Celebrating Syrian...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Nov. 5 – A Turath Ensemble Concert, commemorating the Poetry of Mahmoud Darwish and music of Marcel Khalife, at the Schoenberg Auditorium, UCLA, Los Angeles, FREE, Open to the Public. Contact:  www.turath.org.

Nov. 7 – The Arab American National Museum,  2009 Arab American Book Award Ceremony, Dearborn, MI. Contact: (313) 624-0223

Nov. 7 – Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Los Angeles chapter, 13th Annual Banquet at Hilton Anaheim hotel, Anaheim, CA. Contact: (714)776-1847

Nov. 11 – 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. NAAP-LA is proud to co-sponsor Alia Malek’s New Book on Arab Americans at Levantine Cultural Center 5998 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90035-2657. Price: Suggested donation $10 or purchase of autographed copy of “A Country Called Amreeka, Arab Roots, American Stories. http://www.levantinecenter.org/arts/authors/alia-malek-presents-new-book-arab-americans-levantine-cultural-center#

Nov. 14 – United Doctors Annual Banquet 7pm-1am at the Embassy Suites- Anaheim South, 11767 Harbor Boulevard, Garden Grove, CA 92840. Cost $50/person.

Nov. 15 – Kinda Hibrawi new paintings, inspired by Kahlil Gibran, presented by the Chiarini Gallery, Santa Ana, CA. Contact: kinda@kindahibrawi.com

Nov. 15 – The Association of Egyptian American Scholars 36th Conference, at the Smart Village, October City, Egypt. Contact: (703) 578-9256

Nov. 20-22 – National Boycott Divestment Sanctions Conference at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. For more information about the conference, please visit HSJP’s website at www.hsjp.org, where we will announce updates, lodging/food information, financial aid, and a place for registration for the conference.

Nov. 21 – Kan Zaman Community Ensemble will present a Classical and Folk Arabic music concert at the Armory Center for the Arts,  Pasadena, CA. Contact: (626) 432-8235 and visit: www.kanzaman.org

Nov. 26-29 – National Arab American Medical Association 31st convention, at Aswar Hotel Orlando, FL. Contact: (248) 646-3661

Dec. 5 – ASWAT Performance at Artaud Theater. The Bay Area Arabic Music Ensemble, s transformed itself from an informal community choir to a professional performing group selling out concerts at its biannual performances.  Born simply from the desire to sing, ASWAT has become an anchor in the Bay Area Arab American musical scene.  For more information, visit us at www.zawaya.org.

Jan. 30 – Arab American Music Awards, at the Harmony Golden Theater in Hollywood, CA. Contact: (949) 230-1886, www.arabamericanmusicawards.com

Feb. 11-14  -   The Southern Federation of  Syrian Lebanese American Clubs 64th Annual Mid-Winter Conference, at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta, Georgia. Contact: www.sfslac.org.

Published in The Independent Monitor November 2009 issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Contributing Editor

“The Muses” is the theme of this year’s Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach where works of art come to life nightly until Aug. 31. This year’s show will especially delight youngsters when a segment dedicated to movie posters of the 1930s and 1950s is enacted.  We can’t give away any secrets, but hold onto your seats for an appearance of King Kong and the Fifty-Foot Woman.

The Pageant of the Masters has been thrilling Southern California audiences since 1932, but this year’s event is special for telling the story of the muses, the women who posed for or supported artists whose works are featured. Few of these recollections had a happy ending, but viewers learn more about the history behind paintings they’re familiar with.

A favorite of the audience is seeing how each living painting is created. With the magic of props, make-up and lighting the steps are demonstrated in how life-size replicas of works of art are created.

Arab Americans will be especially interested in Maxfield Parish’s 1918 oil painting entitled “Garden of Allah” and Elihu Vedder’s 1863 oil painting named “Question of the “Sphnix.”

Maxfield Parish’s 1918 oil painting, “Garden of Allah” comes to life nightly at the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach until Aug. 31.

The show begins at 8:30 p.m. but be sure to arrive early to view hundreds of exhibits by world class artists, sculptors and jewelry designers that are on the grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

And don’t miss the Junior Art exhibit featuring amazing work by K-12 students.  Submissions were made by students throughout Orange County and a panel of judges selected an array of work that promises a whole new generation of Picassos and Klees.

To order pageant tickets go online at www.PageantTickets.com or call 1-800-487-3378.

Published in The Independent Monitor August 2009 issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

ARON KADER & GUSTAVO ARELLANO

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS AT NAAP-OC BANQUET

 [ANAHEIM, CA] – It has been confirmed that Arab-American comedian Aron Kader, of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, and author/columnist Gustavo Arellano will speak at the annual “Meet the Professionals” dinner of the Network of Arab American Professionals of Orange County (NAAP-OC) on Saturday, May 16^th. 

After quickly rising up the ranks in the stand-up circuits, Aron Kader became known as an up and comer. He performs regularly in Hollywood at his home club, “The Comedy Store.” Aron is a founding member of “The Axis Of Evil Comedy Tour,” the world renowned stand up comedy trio. In 2008 Aron Kader became the first person to teach a comedy class in the Middle East. He trained college students in Amman Jordan in conjunction with the first ever comedy festival in the region, “The Amman Comedy Festival.” The festival was produced by the city of Amman along with co-producer Dean Obeidallah.

Gustavo Arellano is a staff writer with OC Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Orange County, California, a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Op/Ed pages, author of Orange County: A Personal History, and radio host on KPFK-FM 90.7. He writes “¡Ask a Mexican!,” a nationally syndicated column in which he answers any and all questions about America’s spiciest and largest minority. The column has a weekly circulation of over 2 million in 39 newspapers across the United States. Gustavo will address the importance of Latinos and Arabs to work together, “given our shared status as America’s worst nightmare,” as he stated.

“Meet the Professionals” banquet dinner will be held at the Meadowlark Golf Club in Huntington Beach on Saturday, May 16^th 2009 at 6 pm.

NAAP-OC is a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to strengthening and empowering the Arab American community through social, cultural, professional and political initiatives.

Please view the invitation for more information: NAAP Meet The Professionals Dinner 5/16/2009

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.