Piney Woods Fine Arts Selected for International Program to Bridge Cultural Divide Between American and Muslim Societies
CROCKETT – PWFAA is in the vanguard of a groundbreaking international program aimed at establishing greater understanding between American and Muslim societies. Caravanserai: A place where cultures meet is an artistic and cultural exchange program that showcases the diversity of the contemporary Muslim world through art and culture.
Caravanserai is produced by Arts Midwest, the nonprofit regional arts organization serving America’s upper Midwest, on behalf of the nation’s six Regional Arts Organizations. Caravanserai is funded by the Building Bridges program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
PWFAA successfully applied to be one of four organizations selected to host the fourth season of Caravanserai. Building on three successful seasons, Caravanserai comprises a series of thoughtfully contextualized community-based activities featuring dynamic performing artists and filmmakers from contemporary Muslim cultures.
Caravanserai’s 2014–2015 Malaysia season will feature compelling Malaysian folk music, traditional shadow-puppetry, and contemporary Malaysian film.
J. Bryan Lake, Executive Director of Piney Woods Arts said “We at the PWFAA are very proud of our credentials and wonderful history of providing cultural engagement opportunities like Caravanserai in the Crockett and Houston County area. We are counting on locals to help use implement this residency to realize its maximum effect/results. This is an amazing opportunity for a rural East Texas community”.
“The name Caravanserai was carefully selected for this program,” says David Fraher, president & CEO of Arts Midwest. “Historically, in the east and middle-east, stopping places for caravans along trade routes were called caravanserais. They were safe places to sit around the fire, come together, and exchange stories. The name evokes that imagery of travelers in a safe haven, in a place where cultures meet. We’re delighted that Piney Woods Fine Arts is providing one of those stopping places for an exciting cultural experience.”
In Crockett, Caravanserai will include week-long residencies with dynamic global-fusion band Diplomats of Drum in October and the U.S. premiere tour of Wayang Kulit: The Shadow Play of Kelantan in March 2015. The program will also include a residency with filmmaker Pete Teo in February 2015. South Arts, the Regional Arts Organization serving the southeastern United States, manages the film component of Caravanserai.
PWFAA will have several announcements in the coming months regarding specific Caravanserai events throughout Crockett.
The complete Caravanserai tour includes:
Society for the Performing Arts Houston- (Houston, TX)
Piney Woods Fine Arts Association- (Crockett, TX)
Rialto Center for the Arts- (Atlanta, GA)
University of Florida Performing Arts- (Gainesville, FL)
About PWFAA:
Piney Woods Fine Arts has been bringing the arts to Crockett for 23 years and providing arts education programs to the children of Houston County and the surrounding areas.
About Arts Midwest:
A regional arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives.
About Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art Building Bridges:
The Building Bridges Program aims to promote the use of arts and media to improve Americans’ understanding of Muslim societies. The program seeks to support initiatives that use arts and media to highlight the diversity of Muslim populations around the world.
Caravanserai: A place where cultures meet funded with $1M from Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art produced by Arts Midwest on behalf of Nation’s Regional Arts Organizations