Artist Statement
I am a nationally exhibited Arab-American mosaic artist with long term experience in teaching and lecturing. My M.F.A. was obtained from Instituto d\'Arte per il Mosaico di Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy in 1993. I hold a B.A. in Film Studies from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. I am a roster artist at the Westchester Arts Council. Most of my work has been centered around public art and mosaic murals. My most recent project is a Jewish Muslim Mosaic. The goal is to complete a mosaic that demonstrates our ability as Muslims and Jews to accomplish an artistic pursuit together, amidst difference, but in an environment of tolerance. Ultimately our objective is to create a model for peace, dialogue and mutual respect. I am currently working on a public art mosaic mural for the Peekskill Riverfront Green. My most recent gallery show, \"Return,\" was at the Tribe Gallery in Manhatten. During the summer of 2004 I exhibited pique assiette for a public art project in \"Before + After: Imagining Public Art in Westchester.\" My mosaic works are traditional in the sense that they combine form, color, function, order and durability, but juxtaposed is the reflective, unique quality of each individual tesserae against the assimilation of that tile into a whole image. There is an interdependence between what the tesserae define and what is implied by the mosaic as a whole. The medium never becomes subservient to the image, which is why mosaics are captivating on many levels. I explore the interactive quality of art by incorporating mirrors into most of my pieces. Observers literally become active by the incorporation of their reflections in the piece itself. My goal is to explore the notion of public art as interactive. I want to transcend the typical passive role of the observer by engaging them intimately with the art. I am interested in connections. What connects the artist to the vision and resulting piece, what connects or disconnects the viewer of the art and how are the artist and the viewers connected by the piece. Somehow the mosaic must bring all the interactions together not just in the image and tiles, but also between the piece, artist and viewer. This aspect is very crucial to my work in public art as well as personal design pieces.
Educational Background
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