What exactly is the artwork going to be?

At the second JAMmART brainstorming session we had 15 participants: Betsy Miller, Seema Khan, Nabila Altafullah, Paul Falcon, Marsha Goldfine, Shela Qamer, Sabir Rahman, Shirley Waxman, Bonnie Korr, Beyhan Trock, Gale Pressman, Tamah Graber, Bano Makhdoom, Amna Ibrahim, and Rehana Raza. We welcomed the four newest members to the group and introduced ourselves, the media in which we work, and our expectations of the project. It soon became clear that we needed to define what it is we want the piece to mean and express. Is the goal to represent all of humanity? Is the goal to speak of the Jewish and Muslim faiths individually, highlighting our differences as well as what we have in common? Should the center be an interweaving and intertwining of what we share? Should one side represent Judaism and the other side Islam, coming together in the middle. We want the central message to be about peace, cooperation, friendship, spirituality, acceptance, and what we share in common. The discussion moved into important symbols from each faith. Common to both religions are elements of nature: water, sky, earth, trees, light. One of the strongest common elements is that of knowledge, learning, education. Calligraphy can pull the whole piece together at the center with both Arabic and Hebrew words interweaving. The only conclusion we were able to come to is that the piece will be composed of seven panels. From our previous meeting, we determined that the number seven is very important to both religions. The piece must be transportable and flexible so it may be installed in a variety of spaces that have a variety of limitations. It should have the ability of being flat for some venues. Many of us liked the idea of it being three dimensional so that it can be experiential and can be walked through. We decided that before we can determine what the structure and medium will be, the first step is to decide on the message. In order to come to some kind of consensus, we decided that everyone needs to answer the following questions before we meet next: 1) What do I want the artwork’s message to be? 2) What elements/symbols from my religion do I want to see included? 3) What do I want to work on (in terms of medium and theme)? Although some of us were frustrated at not agreeing upon the artwork yet, we have begun to form personal bonds and connections. The process of learning about each other is as important to the project as the final product, if not more so. Our next meeting is scheduled for January 11, 2009.

The Beginning of JAMmARTt

JAMmARTt is a project about forging interaction, respect, and understanding between local Muslim and Jewish communities through the creation of a work of art. The completed piece will go on public display and serve as a testament to the cooperation used during its creation. Tikvat Israel Congregation of Rockville, MD, voted unanimously to support the project at its Congregational meeting in September, 2008. The project also has the support of the leadership of the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring. The project brings Muslims and Jews together working toward the shared goal of lending their hands, hearts, and a willingness to be pioneers in this endeavor. Artistic experience is not required. On November 16, 2008, a group of Muslim and Jewish professional artists met for the first time to brainstorm how to plan, direct, and lead the creation of the art. There were five Jews, four Muslims, one Muslim-Jew, and one non-denominational artist. It was a diverse group, most of whom had never met before. We focused on the shared elements that are important to both of our religions, and how they are expressed in Islamic and Judaic art. There was a feeling of creativity, cooperation, energy, learning, and openness throughout the discussion. We realized that we would need a few more brainstorming and discussion sessions before we can begin bringing a larger group together to create the art. The next session was set for December 21, 2008.