Palestine Center - Cultural Activities Events

Current Events

Islamic Calligraphy
objects and writings, traditional and contemporary
New at the Jerusalem Fund Gallery!

Click to see this exhibition online.

Past Events

Stories My Father Told Me
An exhibition of new paintings by Helen Zughaib

Click to see this exhibition online.

…"Rising before dawn, they lined the edges of the ship, as they sailed into New York Harbor for the very first time…."
From "Coming to America," a painting with narrative by Helen Zughaib

We know that many of you have stories of your own family heritage-memories of your fathers and fathers' fathers-stories of the Arab immigrant experience-histories and experiences that have shaped your world.

We would like to encourage you to share some of those stories with us. We would like to further share those stories, anonymously if you prefer, with our virtual guests on our website. Email us at dpainter@palestinecenter.org

We look forward to meeting you and hearing your tales.

Dagmar Painter
Gallery Curator

About Helen Zughaib

Helen Zughaib is a painter living and working in Washington DC since 1985. She uses gouache and ink on board. Her subjects range from national monuments to portraits of her two cats, to stories her father told her about her heritage. She uses color and pattern to define a new sense of space and perspective. Through her work, she hopes to bring pleasure and joy to the viewer. Learn more on her website www.hzughaib.com

UPCOMING Opening exhibition of the National Arab American Museum, January 2005

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The World Bank
The Library of Congress
Art in Embassies
Deloitte, Touche, Tohmatsu

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITIONS
Currently, National Gallery of Albania
2003 Waterfront Hotel, Belfast, Ireland
2003 Allied Museum, Berlin, Germany
2003 Library of Congress "Witness and Response"
2002 Topkapi Museum, Istanbul, Turkey

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2003 Watergate Gallery, Washington, DC
2002 International Visions Gallery, Washington, DC
2001 Covington and Burling, Washington, DC
2001 Atrium Gallery, Washington, DC
2001 Greenburg House, Washington, DC
2001 Embassy of Lebanon, Washington, DC

SELECTED JURIED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2003 Watergate Gallery, Washington, DC
2002 Strathmore Hall Arts Center, Rockville, MD
2001 Verizon Gallery, Fairfax, Virginia
2001 Neiman Marcus, Top Ten, Fairfax, Virginia
2001 MOCA Gallery, Washington, DC
2001 A Salon Gallery, Washington, DC
2001 International Visions Gallery, Washington, DC
2001 Watergate Gallery, Washington, DC

NATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2003 Armory Arts Center, Palm Beach Florida
2002 SunTrust Plaza Gallery, Atlanta GA
2002 National Arts Club, New York, NY
2002 Meridian International Center, Washington, Dc

Of Exile and Return
Paintings by Zahi Khamis

On view at the Jerusalem Center Gallery through March, the paintings of Galilee born artist Zahi Khamis capture a deep sense of loss, anxiety and yearning for Palestine. His style has been described as follows: "Combining legend with memory, anger with beauty, and abstraction with poetry, Zahi's work offers a colorful map of the collective spirit of resistance." More information about the artist and his images can be found at www.zahiart.com. For a review of this show, click here.

FRIDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2004
6:30—8:30 pm (Reception to meet the artist)

Palestine Center
2425-35 Virginia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Telephone: 202-338-1290

The exhibition will be on view through March 30

Photos of the collection...

Nostalgia
Dream of Silence

Anaat
Return 2

The Gallery
The Musicians

Deir Yassein
The Wall (left), Anger

Jerusalem

Prison 1
Prison 2

Yearning
J'accuse

A Celebration of Arab Culture

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University cordially invite you to A Celebration of Arab Culture .

FRIDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2004
6:00-8:30 pm

Oud concert by Shawkat Sayyad
Dabkeh folk dance performance
Paintings by Zahi Khamis
Palestinian costumes
Mezze

The event will be held at:

We are located in the Potomac Plaza apartment building at the corner of Virginia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. The nearest metro station is Foggy Bottom.

For more information please phone 202-338-1325.

Tunisia: Light of Our Sight

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Embassy of Tunisia cordially invite you to the opening reception of photographs by Michael J. Keating.

THURSDAY, 15 JANUARY 2004
6:30 PM — 8:30 PM

The exhibition will be on view through February 9.

The event will be held at:

The Magic of the Bazaar

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development cordially invites you, your family and friends to the annual Jerusalem Fund Souk

SATURDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2003
11:00AM – 4:00PM

"Café Jerusalem," serving Arabic coffee, tea and sweets, treats and narghilas, backgammon and domino games, live music performances, films, henna painting, calligraphy lessons in the “children’s tent” and much more. Artwork, crafts, pottery, jewelry, textiles and gifts from Palestine, Turkey, Afghanistan, North Africa and other Arab lands, sold in a Middle Eastern ambiance.

The event will be held at:

Thinking from Inside the Box

Sculptural Assemblage by Roger Cook

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development cordially invites you to the opening reception.

THURSDAY, 6 NOVEMBER 2003
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

The event will be held at:

We are located in the Potomac Plaza apartment building at the corner of Virginia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. The nearest metro station is Foggy Bottom.

Please RSVP by November 4.
Please respond to 202-338-1325 or rsvp@palestinecenter.org.

Ibdaa: A Palestinian Folkloric Dance Troupe
Eighteen young men and women from the Dheisheh refugee camp in the Occupied Territories tell the history, struggle, and aspiration of Palestinian refugees through traditional Palestinian dance, debka, and theatrical choreography.

Monday, July 28, 2003
7:30 p.m.

The event will be held at:

Ticket Prices:

$20 ~ Box, Orchestra Level Floor
$15 ~ Orchestra Level Back, Balcony Front
$10 ~ Balcony

Tickets available online at: ticketmaster.com or by telephone at 202.432.seat, 301.432.seat, or 703.573.seat, and at all Ticketmaster outlets including Hecht's, Kemp Mills Music, and Tower Records. Tickets will also be sold at the Lincoln Theater Box Office: Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m-6:00 p.m

Celebration of Iraqi Culture

featuring Ghada Al-Mekdisy, musician & Dunya Mikhail, poet

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development cordially invites you for an evening of music and poetry:

Saturday, 31 May 2003
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

The event will be held at:

Ms. Al-Mekdisy studied with Munir Bagher, Ghanim Haddad, and Ali Aliman, who have been called the masters of traditional Iraqi Oud music. She received her degree from the School of Music in Baghdad and has performed in Iraq, Jordan, and the United States. Ms. Mikhail is a noted author and teacher of Arabic in Michigan. She has published five collections of poetry which include: The Psalms of Absence, Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea, and Almost Music. She was also awarded the United Nations Human Rights Watch Award of Freedom Writing in 2001.

Tickets are $15.00 available in advance and at the door. Readings will be in Arabic. Kindly RSVP by 30 May 2003.
To reserve, please phone 202-338-1325.

Celebration of Iraqi Culture

featuring Dr. Wasma Chorbachy, Art Historian
discussing "The Importance of Iraqi Culture to Arab Modernity"

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development cordially invites you for an art opening and reception on:

Thursday, 29 May 2003
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

The event will be held at:

We are located in the Potomac Plaza apartment building at the corner of Virginia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. The nearest metro station is Foggy Bottom. Ms. Chorbachy will speak at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Iraqi art will be featured throughout the month of June

RSVP required by Thursday, 28 May 2003.
Please respond to 202-338-1325 or rsvp@palestinecenter.org.

Weapons of Mass Construction: Arabic Music and Literature as Tools for Cultural Understanding, featuring
Michel Moushabeck, Editor and Publisher of Interlink Books

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development cordially invites you to a lecture and reception on:

Saturday, 29 March 2003
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

The event will be held at:

We are located in the Potomac Plaza apartment building at the corner of Virginia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. The nearest metro station is Foggy Bottom. Books and music will be available for purchase. Donated books will be available for area libraries. Inquire at the event.

RSVP required by Thursday, 27 March 2003.
Please respond to 202-338-1325 or rsvp@palestinecenter.org.

ISite : A play by Kathryn Leila Buck

The Cultural Committee of the Jerusalem Fund invites you to a one-night only performance of:

Saturday, 18 January 2003
7:00 PM

Jack Morton Auditorium
Media and Public Affairs Building
George Washington University
805 21st Street NW
Washington, DC

ISite is a one-woman show by Kathryn Leila Buck that focuses on Katie's story and those of her Lebanese and American family members, tracing a life lived in constant transit and co-existence between two worlds. In a series of sketches ranging from her life as a young child rejecting the humiliation of multiple languages, to her grandfather's story of home and exile, to her mother's discovery of an ancient tomb, through her own struggle to describe the Middle East to a bigoted dinner guest and the hilarious trials of a primping, tweezing American college girl lamenting the oppression of Muslim women, with comical memories and moving discoveries, Katie leads her audience on a deeply personal and yet ultimately universal journey through identity,otherness, and the world between.

Tickets: $10 ($7 with student ID)

Explore the Magic of the Bazaar at the Jerusalem Fund Souk

The Cultural Committee of The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development cordially invites you and your family to a free event:

Saturday, 14 December 2002
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Paintings, rugs, jewelry, textiles, pottery, and gifts sold in a Middle East ambiance. Shop for Palestinian embroideries, the artwork of Mona el Bayoumi, Moroccan silver jewelry, Tunisian textiles, Turkish pottery, rugs and kilims, and much, much more. Café Jerusalem, serving Arabic coffee and tea, Middle Eastern sweets, treats, and narghilas, Backgammon and domino games, live music and dancing, Arabic films, and henna painting.

The event will be held at:

We are located in the Potomac Plaza apartment building at the corner of Virginia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. The nearest metro station is Foggy Bottom.

Occupation through the Eyes of Children

The Cultural Committee of
The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development
cordially invites you to a reception on

Tuesday, 29 October 2002
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

As American, Israeli and Palestinian politicos debate abstract terms such as green lines, checkpoints, and "security zones," for millions of Palestinians the terms are a reality. Although all parties claim to be acting in the best interest of both people, the children tell a different story. Dutch photojournalist Nadja Groux chronicled those accounts and pictures in her latest exhibit. Similarly, Arlington County social worker Daniel Quinn recently returned from the West Bank where he volunteered for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

Mr. Quinn will present a slide show entitled "The Intifada's Youngest Victims."

Ms. Groux will speak on her project and the photo exhibit will be on display until 25 November 2002

The event will be held at:

We are located in the Potomac Plaza apartment building at the corner of Virginia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. The nearest metro station is Foggy Bottom.

RSVP kindly requested by 28 October 2002. Please phone 202-338-1325.

The Hand
An Exhibition of Hand Iconography in
Islamic and Other Cultures

The Cultural Committee of
The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development
cordially invites you to a reception on

Thursday, 19 September 2002
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Special exhibition related activities will be offered, including free henna painting and a palmistry display. Guests are invited to bring jewelry or objects with a hand motif for discussion during a talk by exhibit curator Dagmar Painter.

The event will be held at:

We are located in the Potomac Plaza apartment building at the corner of Virginia and New Hampshire Avenues, NW. The nearest metro station is Foggy Bottom.

RSVP kindly requested by 16 September 2002. Please phone 202-338-1325.

Celebrating Palestinian Heritage:
Traditional Embroidery, Dress, and Jewelry

Selections from the collection of
Saleem Fahmawi

The rich cultural heritage of Palestine is apparent in the traditional dress, jewelry, and embroidery of the Palestinian people. For more than 25 years, Mr. Saleem Fahmawi, chief of the Palestine and Decolonization Section of the United Nations, has worked to assemble a rare and beautiful collection of textiles and artifacts from Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Gaza, Jericho, and other areas representing the diversity of his native land.

The exhibit will be on display through 30 August 2002, and may be viewed by appointment.

Take a virtual tour of the exhibit.
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