Art exhibit through Oct.10

A note from Prof. Gray-Hildenbrand:

Dear Students and Colleagues,

I want to congratulate Prof. Meerzaei, again, on the amazing art exhibit in Todd Art Gallery, Todd Hall, Room 224A: Beholding ME: Video Artworks from the Middle Eastern Diaspora.

 It is absolutely moving. I plan to return and sit with it prior to it leaving on October 10. If you have not seen it, PLEASE go. We are so lucky to have access to such great work here on campus.

I would also like to share some of Prof. Meerzaei's words from the reception (if I may):

I always say the Middle East is not real, but Middle Eastern stuff is always too real. This exhibition, a great part of which addresses the expressions of womanhood in the Middle East, happens to coincide with what I do not hesitate to call a feminist revolution on the streets of Iran. I would like to pay my respect to the men and women, especially the youth, who are putting their lives on the line, chanting: “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi/Women. Life, Freedom.” As some of our artists have expressed through their art creations, in the Middle Eastern societies, as is the case all around the world, liberating the female body from the control of the authority of patriarchic political powers has been an important venue for liberation and empowerment for the entire society. I would like to ask you to show, in any way possible, your solidarity with this ongoing revolution, which is not only an Iranian revolution but a decisive moment for the feminist movements of our times. Mohammad Meerzaei

See you all tomorrow (Tuesday, 4:30PM State Farm Room) for Dr. Karl Ernst's Lecture.

Jenna

 

Dr. Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand
Associate Professor, Religious Studies
Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Middle Tennessee State University