One of the major themes running through out summer NEH program was tracing the diversity within the Islamic World. We had a chance to look through a variety of art forms to really examine if the term "Islamic World" is even appropriate. For example, what does a Mongolian shepherd have in common with an oil [...]
Next week starts my 2- week summer teacher education program, A Reverence for Words: Understanding Muslims Cultures through the Arts. This will be my second National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute; last year I went to the Religious Worlds of New York Institute and this year I's excited back in the city that never [...]
In preparation for my NEH Summer Institute, Reverence for Words: Understanding Muslim Culture through the Arts, I received a package in the mail that contained your usual welcome forms and letters along with a book of poetry and a DVD, Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World. I decided to plop down while folding laundry [...]
Jerusalem, considered one of the holiest city in the entire world has long been divided over three of the world’s major religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Dome of the Rock contains the Foundation Stone which is important to all three religions as the traditional site of the Sacrifice of Isaac. Although these religions have a [...]
In preparation to delve into teaching Islam I did some reading specifically focusing on women in Islam because that always seems to be of great interest to my largely female Humanities classes. The first book I picked up, Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson, was so incredibly [...]
Today is the introduction to Islam in my Humanities class and they are reading an article on the Five Pillars. What a better day than to show case one of my previous student's blog posts on that exact topic! JMF Islam is the second largest religion in the world, with about 1.5 billion followers [...]
Writing can be the art itself, or it can accompany the art, assisting in its interpretation and narrative. Utilizing writing in art allows the informed audience to add a deeper layer of meaning to the piece. The Vienna Genesis (below) is an example of writing complementing the art in which the writing coincides with the vignette shown. [...]
