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Artists for Peace: Benefit Exhibit and Reception for Middle Eastern Studies

Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Kroeber Hall
Join the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the John Natsoulas Gallery for an evening of art in support of UC Berkeley students seeking to expand and deepen their knowledge of the Middle East and North Africa. Artists for Peace brings together over 50 artists from around the world, using a wide array of artistic mediums, to critically reflect on the concept of peace. Many of the works express the artists' personal experiences in the Middle East and North Africa. The exhibition’s emphasis on Libyan artists offers a rare opportunity to showcase and celebrate contemporary Libyan art, long restricted and underexposed. The benefit reception will feature live music, Middle Eastern food, cocktails, and a first look at the exhibit, with an opportunity to meet exhibiting artists. All net proceeds from ticket sales, as well as a portion of art sales, will support UC Berkeley students’ travel to the Middle East and North Africa for language training and engaged scholarship in conjunction with the Ambassador Stevens Program for Middle Eastern Studies. The remainder of the art sales will support exhibiting artists. As we ponder the stubborn persistence of authoritarianism and exclusion both at home and abroad, supporting artistic expression and access to education is more critical than ever. We hope you will join us to inspire a new generation of committed public servants, engaged scholars, and compassionate individuals in the United States and in the Middle East. The exhibition is curated by John Natsoulas, in honor and memory of his childhood friend and Cal alumnus Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.