Join us for a wine and cheese reception to close out "inside/outside & other oxymorons" at the Inside/Outside Gallery on Wednesday, August 12, featuring Vahé Berberian in person.

“inside/outside & other oxymorons” [sic] is an exhibition that explores the work of three multicultural artists—Sama Alshaibi, Vahé Berberian and Adnan Charara—whose lives of migration and experiences with war, displacement and political instability have given them a unique perspective on identity, culture and society.

By Catherine Batruni

By Patrick Healy

The Beirut Art Center, in a former factory, opened in January.: Photo by Bryan Denton for The New York Times.BEIRUT - Along the Beirut River just outside of the city center is an industrial neighborhood of small warehouses and factories, car dealerships and crumbling, squat buildings that bear the scars of bullets from Lebanon's wars. It is a place, in other words, that would be the perfect home for the art galleries of Chelsea or the meatpacking district - and, indeed, where a cultural space that would be the envy of New York has come to life.

The Beirut Art Center, a 16,000-square-foot space occupying two floors of a former factory, opened on Jan. 15 with a gala that drew a thousand people, and it has quickly emerged as a popular destination for Beirutis, tourists and art critics at the city's newspapers and across Lebanon.

Jordan Elgrably: speaking at a recent event at USCBy Amanda Georges
The L.A. Pilot

LOS ANGELES — Even before September 11 drastically shifted the way Arab-Americans lived, journalist and writer Jordan Elgrably was already thinking about ways to educate America about the Arab world.

Months before the attack, Elgrably helped found Levantine Cultural Center in 2001, a Los Angeles based non-profit organization that works to showcase the top names in Middle Eastern music, film and art as an alternative resource of information about the Middle East.

In a post-9/11 world, Elgrably finds his original mission to be even more relevant and imperative.

Elgrably believes that art and culture offer people a unique perspective into Arab and Middle Eastern life and politics.

by Sousan Hammad

The festival flierFor many Palestinians, the month of May is associated with the commemoration of the Nakba. But with the increasing popularity of the arts in Palestine, the second annual Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest) harmoniously unfolded to the final days of spring, a time also for lavender and lilies.

Ahdaf Soueif, an Egyptian-born novelist, along with Brigid Keenan, a travel writer, and Victoria Brittain, a former editor of the Guardian, came up with the idea of having a world-class literature festival in Palestine. "Last year we brought a festival to Palestine, and Palestine taught us so much in return. Palestinian cities -- even under siege and a cruel military occupation -- manage to produce brilliant art and top class education. PalFest aims to contribute to that rich cultural life," Soueif said.

Daniela: performing live at the Middle East Arts Festival, May 23, 2009On Sundays, 11:30-1:00 pm, performer and choreographer Daniela is teaching this new class at Levantine Cultural Center for beginning and intermediate dancers.

New Student Special—First class $10. Classes $15 thereafter. **LIMITED TIME SPECIAL- 4 CLASS SERIES FOR ONLY $40**
 
For more info, call 323.445.6081.

Join us for an exciting and energetic exploration of what is known to many as the world’s most ancient dance.  Participate in a beautiful and elegant form of creative expression that is also a proven path to physical fitness and feminine well-being. The course will focus on:

Members of the Syrian Jazz OrchestraBy Jen Reinhardt

If you were to expose American jazz critics on a visit to Syria to the kaleidoscope of musical styles found on the streets, you'd rock their world, for it is this range of styles that best exemplifies the Syrian heritage of cultural diversity and tolerance. From street musicians performing classical Arabic music, to wedding celebrations with thumping debke beats, taxis blaring catchy Arabic pop songs, and a variety of cafes and restaurants each showcasing different world music, you'll find almost every musical genre in Syria.

This wealth of musical exchange served as the inspiration for "Jazz Lives in Syria," an annual international jazz festival founded in 2005 as a way to both promote international collaboration between audiences and artists alike and celebrate the fusion of different musical styles (Eastern/Western, contemporary/traditional, etc.)

"My career has always been a challenge for me -- simply 'to be or not to be' -- especially under such very difficult circumstances," says Etimad Wshah. Wshah lives in the Jabaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, and is one of a small number of women filmmakers in Gaza. Since 1994 she has trained other women filmmakers at the Palestinian Women's Affairs Center in Gaza City.

Young women learning to become filmmakers at the Women's Affairs Center in Gaza City.

"In 1998 I was the first woman director to train both men and women and carry a camera in the streets of Gaza," she explains. Wshah was trained by Canadian filmmaker Christine Necier, Arab filmmaker Imtiaz Diab and the Reuters news agency. Recalling a six-month stint studying filmmaking in Geneva, she states that "It was an interesting experience for me and it was rather a challenge for a girl from a refugee camp."

By Catherine Batruni

"Arab Labor" (or "Avoda Aravit") implies second-rate work in colloquial Hebrew. The satirical show broadcast on Israeli television is the brainchild of Israeli-Arab Sayed Kashua. The main character, Amjad, is based on Kashua himself. Amjad is a Palestinian journalist who holds Israeli citizenship and struggles to find his identity. Even though he was born in Israel and works at a prominent publication, he has to bear the daily humiliation of having his car searched on his way to work. Other main characters include Meir, Amjad's newspaper colleague and Bushra, Amjad's wife. Amal is a Palestinian-Israeli attorney who begins dating Meir. Maya is Amjad's daughter.