The Visual Culture of the Nation of Islam

Christiane Gruber The Nation of Islam, or NOI, was founded in 1930 as a politico-religious movement for Black empowerment in the United States. From 1960 onward, it intersected with other American liberation, Black Power, and civil rights movements under the auspices of Elijah Muhammad, who served as NOI leader from 1934 until his death in…

Mohamed Zakariya and the Practice of Calligraphy

Mohamed Zakariya and the Practice of Calligraphy Nancy Micklewright Synopsis: This presentation examines the creation of traditional Arabic calligraphy today through the life of Mohamed Zakariya, the foremost practitioner of this art in the United States. Beginning with Zakariya’s journey from Southern California to Virginia, via Morocco and Istanbul, we consider the core elements of…

“Do-For-Self”: The Visual Culture of the Nation of Islam

“Do-For-Self”: The Visual Culture of the Nation of Islam Christiane Gruber Synopsis: The Nation of Islam (NOI) was founded in 1930 as a politico-religious movement for Black empowerment in the United States. During the 1960s and 70s, the NOI’s official newspaper, Muhammad Speaks (1960-75) included numerous essays, op-eds, and illustrations promoting the moral and salvific…

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis Kerr Houston Synopsis: Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is regularly named as one of the best graphic novels ever written, and has been analyzed from a variety of narrative and historical angles. Importantly, it can also be seen as meaningfully engaging with the larger history of Islamic art and visual culture, and this presentation…

Saba Taj’s Interstellar Uber // Negotiations with God

Saba Taj’s Interstellar Uber // Negotiations with God: Queer Articulations in Contemporary Islamic Art Sascha Crasnow Synopsis: This talk introduces queer expressions in contemporary Islamic art through an analysis of Saba Taj’s multi-media kinetic sculpture Interstellar Uber // Negotiations with God. The work, which depicts al-Buraq, the human-headed steed upon which Muhammad rode during his…

Manufactured Images: The Engravings of 19th-Century Arabic Periodicals

Manufactured Images: The Engravings of 19th-Century Arabic Periodicals Hala Auji Synopsis: Explore the diversity of printed images that became popular in illustrated Arabic journals during the late nineteenth century. These engravings, which included a range of topics from scientific diagrams to illustrations of zebras, exemplify the interconnected nature of the arts and sciences in the…

Mahmoud Mukhtar’s Khamasin: Sculpture in Modern Egypt

Mahmoud Mukhtar’s Khamasin: Scuplture in Modern Egypt Alex Dika Seggerman Synopsis: This presentation discusses the rise of the Egyptian modern fine arts movement in the early 20th century through a close look at a sculpture by Egypt’s most renowned modern sculptor, Mahmoud Mukhtar (1891‒1934). Entitled “Khamasin,” the work depicts a woman walking into a sand…

The Paintings of Osman Hamdi Bey

The Paintings of Osman Hamdi Bey Emily Neumeier Synopsis: Osman Hamdi Bey (1842–1910) is recognized today as the foremost artist of the late-Ottoman period. Yet, in his time, it was also his unique access to the ancient past as the head of Istanbul’s archaeology museum that drew the special interest of his contemporaries in Western…

Monumental Mosques in Latin America: Key Modern and Contemporary Case Studies

Monumental Mosques in Latin America: Key Modern and Contemporary Case Studies Caroline “Olivia” Wolf Synopsis: Although largely overlooked in the study of Islamic art, the architecture of purpose-built mosques and Islamic Cultural Centers in Latin America powerfully negotiate religious space and identity for diverse Muslim communities in predominantly Catholic countries. This presentation provides a brief…

George Floyd in Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan: Visual Commentaries in Islamic Lands

George Floyd in Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan: Visual Commentaries in Islamic Lands Christiane Gruber Synopsis: George Floyd was killed by an American police officer in May 2020. Although an individual who lived his own life, he became a larger visual metaphor and embodiment for discrimination and death that extended across the world, touching a nerve…