Convergences in Silver Spring

In conjunction with Convergences, the current exhibit at Gateway’s Heliport Gallery

Gateway is proud to present

An Evening with the Artists March 8, Thursday, 6:30-8:30 pm

Each artist will speak for approximately 20 minutes, after which the floor will be open for questions…dialogue and discourse.

Karim Chaibi:
Even before the coining of the term of “Judaeo-Christianity” in the nineteenth century, Western scholars largely considered Islam to be an outsider culture and tradition that few attempted to study. Yet a review of historical data readily shows that Judaism and Islam converge in many areas and senses, though this field has unfortunately not yet been fully researched I will speak about convergences and commonalities between Judaism and Islam not to answer but to pose pertinent questions about these shared roots that can serve as a source for Jewish-Muslim renewal.

Thomas Block:
Hardly growing in a vacuum, the Jewish/Muslim mystical entanglement was merely one single facet of a larger positive relationship enjoyed by these two cousins for nearly a millennia during medieval times. In this talk, Tom Block will place the ideas of his exhibit, Shalom/Salaam, in a greater cultural context, exploring the deep ties between Muslims and Jews in everything from education (they attended each other's schools) to the law (it was not uncommon for medieval Jews to resort to the Muslim courts to resolve Jewish religious questions!). Ultimately, this talk will broaden our understanding of just how deeply intertwined these two peoples are -- and how the way their history is viewed in today's world has more to do with current political realities than historic truths.

Note to writers: Poets and others interested in developing poems or prose based on the CONVERGENCES exhibit are invited to arrive early—at 5:45 PM—to chat with the artists individually and to discuss common interests.


RSVPS not required, but appreciated.

http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=6601&SectionID=27&SubSectionID=&S=1
http://www.gazette.net/stories/013107/takonew214440_32338.shtml
http://www.examiner.com/a-551457~Convergences__Judeo_Islamic_Mysticism_meets_hope.html
http://www.gazette.net/stories/022807/enterev204508_32348.shtml

Gateway Georgia Avenue Revitalization Corporation
8001 Kennett St. Suite 3, Silver Spring, Md. 20910
Home of the Gateway Heliport Gallery : Convergences
Gallery Hours: Tue - Fri, 4-7pm : 301.562.1400