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April 2013

Bahrain/Brandeis: Ulafa'a Reconciliation Art Project
Recasting Reconciliation through Culture and Arts

Tamadher Ali (right) and Khalid Aljabri (left) offering free hugs as a part of the campaign "introducing Ulafa'a project" in market 338, Adliya, Bahrain Photography by Edd Ibrak

Ulafa'a Reconciliation Art Project is an initiative supported by the US Embassy in Bahrain in partnership with Bahraini artists and the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts at Brandeis University. Since the fall of 2012, project coordinators Tamadher Alfahal and Nada Alaradi have been recruiting a group of artists working in a variety of genres to participate in the project in Bahrain. Through a series of events that include film screenings, panel discussions, live performances, and trainings, Ulafa'a artists will engage in conversation with community members and learn how to develop community-based art initiatives that strengthen relationships across differences.

At Brandeis University, from April 14th through 20th, ten young visual artists from Bahrain will be attending an intensive one-week training conducted by Cynthia Cohen, director of the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts.

Edd Ibrak, a team member of Ulafa'a warmly hugging people in next to Ulafa'a stand in market 338, Adliya, Bahrain Photography by Khalid Aljabri

Ulafa'a is an Arabic term (plural) that describes a group of people who are familiar with each other and possibly share common feelings. Ulafa'a is an art project that aims to create opportunities for people to express themselves and to strengthen relationships of respect and understanding among the different communities of Bahrain. The project is based on the belief that people can express themselves through a variety of artistic forms, and that these expressions can facilitate communication and the sharing of stories.

You can follow them on Twitter or read their blog.

Ulafa’a Project: Finding Common Ground
through Oral History and the Arts
Presentation by the Ulafa’a Visual Artists of Bahrain
April 16, 2013
5:15pm–6:30pm
Pearlman Lounge
Ulafa’a team representatives will present their collaborative work done in Bahrain as a part of the Ulafa’a Reconciliation Project: Recasting Reconciliation through Culture and Arts. Free and open to the public. View the events flyer.

Ulafa’a Reconciliation Art Project:
Exhibition by the visual artists of Bahrain
April 19–28, 2013
Shapiro Campus Center, Multi-Purpose Room (MPR)
Opening Reception: Friday, April 19 (12:00 - 2:00pm) *Note: Due to the closure of MBTA and directives from local authorities, Brandeis University is closed today, Friday, April 19. Opening Reception has been cancelled, but the exhibit is opened to students who are staying on campus. The artists are in the gallery and would like students to come see the exhibit.

As a part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, a team of Bahraini artists will be exhibiting the artworks and documentation from their Ulafa'a project. Please come and meet the artists at the opening. Light refreshment will be served. Free and open to the public. View the events flyer.

Ulafa'a team members in front of their stand in market 338, an art festival by Alriwaq Art Space in Adliya, Bahrain Photography by Husain Alkumaish

Ulafa’a Team members with Sarah McCarty, a Brandeis student  at their art exhibit in the Campus Center. Their exhibit is up until April 28th as a part of the Festival of the Arts. Photo: Courtesy of the Ulafa’a team.

September 2012

Programs in conjunction with Dor Guez Exhibition at the Rose Art Museum:

Peacebuilding Tours 
Deepen your experience with a group tour hosted by Cynthia Cohen, director of the Brandeis Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts; and Farhat Agbaria, coexistence facilitator at Seeds of Peace and Givat Haviva. Visit the Rose Art Museum website or call 781-736-3434 for dates and times. 

Co-Sponsored Event at the Ethics Center

Film Screening - Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry
Thursday, November 1, 7:00pm
Wasserman Cinematheque, Sachar International Center
“Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry” is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures. Following the screening, meet the director in a discussion moderated by Dr. Cindy Cohen. The event is sponsored by the Edie and Lew Wasserman Fund Film, Television and Interactive Media, the Department of Fine Arts, the Department of Politics, and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life.

Facilitating Encounters through Art:
A workshop for artists working in zones of violent conflict
9/21–23 (Session I) & 9/28–30 (Session II) *The same workshop will be offered twice, so please apply for one session only.
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Facilitated by Farhat Agbaria, coexistence facilitator from Givat Haviva and Seeds of Peace, and Cindy Cohen, director of the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts, Brandeis University. This workshop is designed for artists, cultural workers and leaders of cultural institutions, who work or plan to work in zones of violent conflict around the world, including the United States. It will consist of an exploration of the relationship between dialogue and art. Application period has closed. Read more about the workshop and download the flier.

This workshop is programmed in conjunction with the art exhibition "Dor Guez: 100 Steps to the Mediterranean" at the Rose Art Museum, as a part of the Dor Guez Exhibition Programs. 

Co-sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences; Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies Program; the Department of Theater Arts; and the Interfaith Chaplaincy.  

Read Reflection on Farhat Abgaria’s Visit by Cynthia Cohen


 

The Art of Dialogue:
A conversation with facilitator Farhat Agbaria
*Open to the Brandeis community only

Wednesday, September 19
12:15-1:45 pm
Heller School, Room G4

Join undergraduate and graduate students in conversation with Farhat Agbaria, an experienced coexistence facilitator who has led dialogues with young people and adults from the Middle East, India and Kashmir, the former Yugoslavia and the United States. He has worked with the Seeds of Peace coexistence program since its inception in 1993. For many years he directed the Face-to-Face program of Givat Haviva, where he continues to work. Farhat grew up in a Muslim Palestinian family in Israel. He will share stories from his experiences and respond to questions from a panel of students and members of the audience. The conversation will be moderated by Cynthia Cohen, director of the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts at Brandeis University. Free and open to the Brandeis community. Contact Ann Gudaitis for more information. 

June 2012

Screening of the Acting Together on the World Stage
June 22, 12:30-3:30pm
The Boston Foundation, South Boston Room
Free and open to the public. Screening followed by post-screening conversation with Cynthia Cohen, co-creator of film and director of Acting Together project, Brandeis University; Kathleen Bittier, artist, policy expert and chief curator at Medicine Wheel Productions; Charles Mulekwa, playwright from Uganda and a curator of Acting Together project. An additional video clip from the toolkit will be shown, followed by conversation and activities exploring how artists and peacebuilders balance attention to aesthetic and socio-political imperatives. Space is limited. Please RSVP to Naoe Suzuki at nsuzuki@brandeis.edu. Read more or view the Facebook event page.

April 2012

March 2012

Intercultural Residency Series: Spring 2012
Improvisations: Raga in Afghanistan and North India
March 6-10
A unique international music collaboration will come together at Brandeis from March 6 to 10 as part of the MusicUnitesUs program. Homayun Sakhi is the outstanding Afghan rubab player of his generation. Ken Zuckerman, an American, is internationally acclaimed as one of today’s finest sarod virtuosos. Salar Nader, born in Germany, is one of his generation’s leading performers on the tabla. Together, the trio will create a new and exciting world music fusion.

World Music Concert
March 10, 8:00pm
Slosberg Music Center
Improvisations: Raga in Afghanistan and North India
Master performers virtuosically reunite two historically kindred stringed instruments through the common language of raga and tala.
Homayun Sakhi, Afghan rubâb; Ken Zuckerman, sarod;
Salar Nader, tabla
Preconcert talk at 7:00 p.m. with Theodore Levin, Arthur R. Virgin Professor of Music at Dartmouth College
Read more and listen to a preview.

Making a Difference Through the Arts: The Practice of Cultural Advocacy
March 13
 MusicUnitesUs will host the symposium, "Making a Difference Through the Arts: The Practice of Cultural Advocacy," with cultural advocates Richard Kurin, undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution for History, Art, and Culture; Ethel Raim, artistic director of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance in New York City; Zeyba Rahman, director of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music; Jessye Kass '13, co-founder of the Attukwei Art Foundation; and moderator Theodore Levin, senior project consultant for Aga Khan Music Initiative.

January – March 2012

Exhibit: BLUE
Naoe Suzuki
January 12 – March 2, 2012
Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University
Art exhibit by Naoe Suzuki, Senior Program Coordinator for the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts. Suzuki is showing her current work inspired by water—both its healing power and water crisis around the world. Read more.

Opening Reception
Thursday, January 26, 5:00 - 7:30pm
Women’s Studies Research Center, Epstein Building
Meet the artist and enjoy some refreshments in the Women Studies Research Center's Kniznick Gallery.  

Artist's Slide Talk
Tuesday, February 14, 12:30pm
Women’s Studies Research Center Lecture Hall, Epstein Building

Read the interview on BrandeisNOW.

February 2012

February 5-13, 2012

'DEIS Impact!
Exploring social justice on campus and around the world
The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Brandeis Student Union present a weeklong "festival of social justice" -- a milestone in the history of Brandeis University's commitment to healing the world. Clubs and academic departments have planned dozens of events addressing topics from global health to climate change, from women's rights to ancient texts.

Below are the arts-related 'DEIS Impact! events. See the complete schedule of events.

Sunday, February 5, 2012
Playback Workshop: Exploring Social Justice on Campus through Art, Ritual and Social Interaction
Levine Ross, Hassenfeld Conference Center
Together we will explore improvisation as a tool for community building and conflict resolution as well as artistic expression. Open minds, instruments, and all skill levels welcome. Read more.

Thursday, February 9, 4:00-6:00pm
Film: "!Women Art Revolution"
Women's Studies Research Center Lecture Hall
Get in touch with your feminist roots!  Join us for a film screening of "!Women Art Revolution," a documentary by director Lynn Hershman Leeson that explores the Feminist Art Movement over the past several decades through interviews with visionary artists, historians, curators, and critics. Read more.

Monday, February 13, 2012
Nimbaya!: Moving Peace through Drums and Dance & Film: "Wardance"
Shapiro Campus Center
Nimbaya! women drummers and dancers from Guinea come to campus to teach, perform and musically pave the path to peace.  Listen to their stories, watch their performance, learn dance and drumming...then see the film "Wardance," a story of how dance and drumming transforms the lives of children in Uganda as they prepare for a national competition. Read more.

December 1-2, 2011

Just Performance: Enacting Justice in the Wake of Violence

This two-day symposium will explore the performative dimensions of justice-seeking in the aftermath of violence, with a focus on Cambodia, Peru and the United States. Keynote by Dr. Salomon Lerner Febres, President of Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2001-2003). This symposium is hosted by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life in collaboration with Northeastern University School of Law. It is free and open to the public.

More information and a complete schedule of events will be posted soon. For more information, email ethics@brandeis.edu.

October 21-23, 2011

Weekend Intensive:
Peacebuilding and the Arts: Community Cultural Development

This weekend program is designed for students, practitioners and policy-makers in the fields of peacebuilding, the arts, and sustainable community, youth and economic development.

October 23, 2011

"Acting Together on the World Stage" Boston Premiere
Distler Performance Hall, Granoff Music Center
Tufts University
Featuring the film screening of "Acting Together on the World Stage,"  performances, and a post-film discussion on the importance and the risks of cultural diplomacy with leading experts... Read more.

Fall 2011

Featured in State of the Arts Magazine:
Peacebuilding and the Arts (Fall 2011)

Read more about our program and past events in the State of the Arts magazine.

April 12, 2011

Peacebuilding and the Arts Think Tank: Educating Future Leaders

The program in Peacebuilding and the Arts invited college and university educators leading programs in the theatre/performance/visual arts/music and conflict/social justice/peacebuilding/social change. Participants explored options for the structure and programmatic focus of a consortium or network of university-based programs educating students to work at the nexus of the arts and social transformation. 

Nexus of Arts and Social Transformation: A Roundtable for Leaders in Higher Ed

A roundtable for leaders and educators in programs in the arts and social transformation to share their experiences and thoughts for educating future leaders in colleges and university settings.

"Acting Together on the World Stage:" Documentary Film Screening

The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life hosted the official launch of the "Acting Together on the World Stage" documentary. The screening was followed by a series of responses from members of the Brandeis faculty and a reception.

April 1-3, 2011

Peacebuilding and the Arts Weekend Intensive

Peacebuilding and the Arts: Core Concepts and Principles
This weekend intensive was designed for students, practitioners, administrators, advocates and policy-makers in the fields of the arts, cultural work and conflict transformation.

This Intensive was free to members of the Brandeis community and the "Acting Together" project, and open for others for a fee.

Learn more about the program.

March 10-12, 2011

Intercultural Residency Series, 
Spring 2011

Highlights of Spring Residency
Simon Shaheen: Heritage Without Boundaries
World Music Concert 

Featuring Simon Shaheen and Guests

March 4-5, 2011

February 16, 2011

Mahmood Karimi-Hakak
Iranian Theater Artist, Poet and Educator
In Residence at Brandeis University 

Artistic Director of Mahak International Artists Inc., Mahmood Karimi-Hakak is a poet, author, translator and theatre and film maker who has written, produced, directed, and designed over 50 stage and screenplays in the U.S., Europe and Iran.  His plays and films have received international acclaim and awards at such festivals as Edinburgh, Netherlands, Berlin, Delhi, Montreal, New York, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles and Tehran.  A recipient of the 2009 Fulbright, and 2005 Raymond Kennedy awards, Karimi-Hakak’s literary credits include six plays, two books of poetry, several translations from and into Persian and numerous articles and interviews both in English and Persian. Karimi-Hakak will be giving a seminar, poetry reading and film screening on February 16th.

September 2010

"Acting Together," a new documentary film created by the Peacebuilding and the Arts Program of Brandeis' International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life in collaboration with Theatre Without Borders, was launched at a special screening at the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York City on September 23, 2010, at a major international conference on theater and peacebuilding in conflict zones. Read about the launch on BrandeisNOW. More details on the Ethics Center website.