Transcript Slide 1

The Jerusalem Fund Gallery
Showcasing the finest Palestinian and Arab
visual, performing and literary arts
in Washington, DC.
The Jerusalem Fund for Education and
Community Development was founded in
1977 as a private non-profit
organization committed to enhancing
the lives of Palestinians and to
communicating reliable and timely
information about the Palestinian
experience.
In 1998, the Fund initiated a cultural
program, designed to build bridges of
understanding to Arab and Palestinian
culture through the visual arts, literature,
dance, music, film and other special events.
The Gallery holds bi-monthly exhibits
throughout the year which showcase the
contemporary arts of Arab and Arab-American
artists. It is the only Gallery in the United
States with a specific emphasis on exhibiting
Palestinian art.
The Gallery has exhibited works by such
notable artists as Emily Jacir, Leila Kubba,
Rajie Cook, Kamal Boullata, and Tayseer
Barakat, among many others.
The power of the
written word in
communicating the
Palestinian story is
undeniable. The
Gallery has hosted
well-known
authors, poets and
playwrights such as
Naomi Shihab Nye,
Nathalie Handal
and Betty Shamieh,
whose works
reflect the
complexities of the
Palestinian identity
and experience.
The Gallery has affirmed
the significance of the
traditional Palestinian
‘dabkeh’ or folkloric dance
through holding dabkeh
instructional classes and
hosting dance troupes.
In 2005, Palestine’s leading dance troupe,
El-Funoun, performed to a sold-out audience in
Washington, DC. El-Funoun’s repertoire
expresses the spirit of Arab-Palestinian
folklore and contemporary culture through
unique combinations of traditional and
stylized dance and music.
Over the past decade and with increased
access to technology and film editing
software, there has been marked a rise in the
numbers of Palestinian film directors
creating powerful features, documentaries
and short films.
The Gallery holds an annual summer film
series over eight weeks screening the latest
films from Palestine.
Whether the
mood is
expressive or
reflective, joyful
or somber,
celebratory or
spiritual, music is
a universal
language that
impacts its
hearers all over
the world. In
Arab and
Palestinian
culture, it
occupies a place
of prominence.
The Gallery has
helped to
organize largerscale concerts
for such
musical greats
as Marcel
Khalife
as well as more
intimate recitals
with Syrian
violinist Aban
Zirikly and the
Middle Eastern
jazz group
Shusmo.
In addition to these regular and ongoing
events, the Gallery periodically hosts
special events on specific occasions.
Iftar dinner
A community event
designed to
introduce people
to the cultural
customs
associated with the
holy month of
Ramadan and to a
variety of foods in
a festive
atmosphere.
The Annual Souk and Olive Harvest Celebration
Held in December, this popular event draws
hundreds from the community for a day-long
‘souk’ experience. Vendors sell arts and crafts
from around the Middle East. The souk features
live music, henna painting, coffee, sweets and the
sales of Palestinian olive oil imported from
Palestine.
The Gallery partners
with other Arab
organizations such as
Georgetown’s Center
for Contemporary
Arab Studies,
the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination
Commmittee,
and American Near East
Refugee Aid, to bring
larger-scale cultural
productions to the
DC area.
The Gallery has also increased its visibility
through fostering connections with
Washington, DC’s cultural institutions
such as
The John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts
and the Smithsonian Associates Program.
The Gallery strives to provide most of its
cultural programming free to the public.
Please consider giving generously to this
important program that builds critical bridges
of understanding through the arts and
communicates the Palestinian story in all of
its vibrancy, richness and splendid cultural
heritage.
Visit us online at
www.thejerusalemfund.org/gallery