Art Bridging The Chasm Between Cultures And Religions

The poster for the exhibition at Riverside Church.

When you see a chasm of misunderstanding between those of different cultures, what do you do? One thing you CAN do is to build bridges of understanding. In reality, there is that type of chasm between the peoples and faith traditions of the Middle East and those of the West. An organization, CARAVAN, was started in Cairo in 2009, with a mission to span that chasm, using arts as the building material.

Every year, CARAVAN holds the CARAVAN Exhibition/Festival of Arts, but not held at a specific location. The organization can choose a venue based on world events or at the invitation of a location, usually in a public location or "sacred space", rather than a designated art space. Besides this flagship event, though, the group also holds a variety of programs and services that feed off the spark from the annual event.



Let's take a look at a current exhibition, THE KEY. The exhibition opened in March in Cairo. It uses the Egyptian symbol of the Ankh as the basis for a hopeful message of peace, harmony, and tolerance around the world.

This exhibition showcases the works of 40 star and debuting artists from Egypt, the Middle East, and the West. The centerpiece is a three-dimensional fiberglass depiction of the Ankh, known as "The Key of Life", measuring 1.2 meters tall. The Ankh itself means "life". Its the oldest known symbol of tolerance, pluralism, and harmony. Essentially, the pieces in the exhibition address the idea that the key to peace and harmony in the world is found in the relationship between the Middle East and the West. So, the Ankh represents a powerful way of uniting the people of different religious backgrounds and cultures.

One of the art works, more in the background at Riverside Church.

As the exhibition has been traveling to different cities, any money raised is being donated to an Egyptian charity that provides creative learning opportunities to the poorest children. Just last month, this exhibition moved into NYC at the historic Riverside Church. It arrived and opened just in time for the UN International Day of Peace being commemorated at the UN General Assembly. Visitors can still stop by and see the works until November 6.

Some public high school students taking notes at "The Bridge" exhibition  in Lander, Wyoming.

Thanks for information from this article on Charter For Compassion: http://www.charterforcompassion.org/index.php/caravan; this article on CARAVAN: http://www.oncaravan.org/the-key; this article on CARAVAN: http://www.oncaravan.org/the-key-photos-new-york-city; and the above link.

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