Grand Valley State University's Middle Eastern Studies program and the Arab Culture Club present a lecture by Islamic Art expert Sheila Blair of Boston College. Blair's presentation will be introductory in nature, suggesting ways of understanding Islamic civilization through its arts.
Blair's fields of interest include Islamic art especially the arts of Iran and Central Asia the art and architecture produced under the Mongols, calligraphy and books. Blair teaches about all aspects of Islamic art from the seventh century to modern times. She has written 10 books, including several international award-winners, and more than 200 articles. Several of her books were written with her husband and co-professor, Jonathan Bloom, with whom she served as artistic consultant to the three-hour documentary "Islam: Empire of Faith," shown nationally on PBS.
The lecture is Wednesday, March 23, from 7-9 p.m. in the Loosemore Auditorium of the DeVos Center on Grand Valley's Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
The lecture is part of the Arab Culture Club's "Explore the Arab World" week, which includes a series of activities culminating in the popular Taste of the Arab World on Thursday, March 24. There will be dinner, music and dance entertainment, an art and artifacts exhibit, information regarding individual Middle Eastern countries and cultures as well as that of the Middle East as a whole.
Events include:
All the events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact James Goode at [email protected].
