Past Forward Receives Rave Reviews in Spokane, May 22, 2015
Dana Al Marashi, Head of Heritage & Social Affairs at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, HE Abdullah Al Saboosi, Consul General, UAE Consuate General in Los Angeles and Abdul Qader Al Rais one of UAE's most important and influential artists and Meridian International Senior Vice President, Dr. Curtis Sandberg were hosted by local native American community members to experience and share their culture and fascinating heritage during a Pow Wow gathering in Spokane, Washington. Past Forward is a public diplomacy initiative of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC in partnership with Meridian International Center and co-curated by Noor Al Suwaidi. In this image, Dr. Sandberg, accompanied by Meridian National Arts Council member Victoria Butler (foreground), meets local leaders.
Past Forward: Contemporary Art from the Emirates opened to much acclaim at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington on Saturday, May 16th. His Excellency Abdulla Alsaboosi, the Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in Los Angeles, was in attendance, along with Dana Al Marashi, Head of Heritage and Social Affairs Department at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C., and Abdul Qader Al Rais, one of the most-celebrated artists in the UAE and whose work is featured in Past Forward.
Meridian’s Dr. Curtis Sandberg, Senior Vice President for the Arts and Cultural Programs, participated in a well-attended panel discussion moderated by Dr. Robert Sauders, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography and Anthropology at the Eastern Washington University. Dr. Sandberg was joined on stage by Dana Al Marashi and Abdul Qader Al Rais to talk about art, culture, and identity.
Meridian, in collaboration with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and the UAE Embassy, organized a week of community events and teaching opportunities, among which included outreach to local American Indians.
Past Forward: Contemporary Art from the Emirates – the first major touring exhibition of Emirati artwork abroad – features over fifty paintings, photographs, sculptures, video installations, and other media by twenty-five leading Emirati artists. The exhibition showcases core elements of life in the UAE and emphasizes the importance of kinship and home, nature and landscape, as well as technology and innovation in Emirati culture. Past Forward opens this weekend at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culturein Spokane, Washington, and will be on display through June 28th. For more information about the exhibition and to view the artworks, visit meridian.org/pastforward.
Dana Al Marashi, Head of Heritage & Social Affairs at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, HE Abdullah Al Saboosi, Consul General, UAE Consuate General in Los Angeles and Abdul Qader Al Rais one of UAE’s most important and influential artists and Meridian International Senior Vice President, Dr. Curtis Sandberg were hosted by local native American community members to experience and share their culture and fascinating heritage during a Pow Wow gathering in Spokane, Washington. Past Forward is a public diplomacy initiative of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC in partnership with Meridian International Center and co-curated by Noor Al Suwaidi. In this image, Dr. Sandberg, accompanied by Meridian National Arts Council member Victoria Butler (foreground), meets local leaders.
Past Forward, “Contemporary Art from the Emirates” opens at the The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture in Spokane, Washington attended by welcoming participants eager to learn about United Arab Emirates heritage through some of the most important work by UAE’s most talented artists and share their fascinating culture with us.
Thank you, Spokane, we look forward to continuing our work together and new found friendship. #PastForward is a public diplomacy initiative of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC in partnership with Meridian International Center and co-curated by Noor Al Suwaidi.
Dana Al Marashi, Head of Heritage & Social Affairs at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, HE Abdullah Al Saboosi, Consul General, UAE Consuate General in Los Angeles and Abdul Qader Al Rais one of UAE’s most important and influential artists were hosted by local native American community members to experience and share their culture and fascinating heritage during a Pow Wow gathering in Spokane, Washington.
Dana Al Marashi, Head of Heritage & Social Affairs at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, and Abdul Qader Al Rais one of UAE’s most important and influential artists and Meridian International Senior Vice President, Dr. Curtis Sandberg discuss #PastForward and UAE’s contemporary art influenced by culture and heritage expressed through a variety of form and medium. Past Forward is a public diplomacy initiative of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC in partnership with Meridian International Center and co-curated by Noor Al Suwaidi.
Sharing common heritage – Dana Al Marashi, Head of Heritage & Social Affairs at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, HE Abdullah Al Saboosi, Consul General, UAE Consuate General in Los Angeles and Abdul Qader Al Rais one of UAE’s most important and influential artists at the The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture experience and share their culture, History and fascinating heritage in Spokane, Washington, part of #PastForward, a public diplomacy initiative of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC in partnership with Meridian International Center and co-curated by Noor Al Suwaidi.
Abdul Qader Al Rais one of UAE’s most important and influential artists shares his work, his influences and journey in art through his travel in the Middle East and the United States at the #PastForward, “Contemporary Art from the Emirates” exhibit opening at the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture. Past Forward is a public diplomacy initiative of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC in partnership with Meridian International Center and co-curated by Noor Al Suwaidi.
Dana Al Marashi, Head of Heritage & Social Affairs at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, HE Abdullah Al Saboosi, Consul General, UAE Consuate General in Los Angeles and Abdul Qader Al Rais one of UAE’s most important and influential artists were hosted by local native American community members to experience and share their culture and fascinating heritage during a Pow Wow gathering in Spokane, Washington, part of #PastForward, a public diplomacy initiative of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC in partnership with Meridian International Center and co-curated by Noor Al Suwaidi.
