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The Mashrabiya Project

Museum for Art in Wood
Seeing Through Space installation view, 2023, part of The Mashrabiya Project, Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by John Carlano.
Seeing Through Space installation view, 2023, part of The Mashrabiya Project, Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by John Carlano.
Woodcarving craftsmen at NADIM Industries furniture division, Giza, Egypt. Photo courtesy of Museum for Art in Wood.
Woodcarving craftsmen at NADIM Industries furniture division, Giza, Egypt. Photo courtesy of Museum for Art in Wood.
Hoda Tawakol, Mashrabiya #9, part of Seeing Through Space, 2023, Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by John Carlano.
Hoda Tawakol, Mashrabiya #9, part of Seeing Through Space, 2023, Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA. Photo by John Carlano.
Bayt al-Suheymi, interior with wood-turned mashrabiya, Cairo, Egypt.
Bayt al-Suheymi, interior with wood-turned mashrabiya, Cairo, Egypt.

An exhibition and a publication contemplate the mashrabiya, a defining element of Islamic visual culture that features elaborate geometric wooden latticework comprising thousands of individual lathe-turned pieces. In newly commissioned works, six artists from the Muslim world—Dana Awartani, Nidaa Badwan, Susan Hefuna, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Majida Khattari, and Hoda Tawakol—respond to societal and cultural concepts evoked by the mashrabiya. Khaled Abdel-Hamid and other master Egyptian wood turners lead master classes on wood turning and carving. The wood turners also engage local practitioners in the creation of the mashrabiya in a workshop space visible to the public. Led by Museum for Art in Wood’s artistic director Jennifer-Navva Milliken, the exhibition includes a gallery-based liwan, a traditional gathering space in Middle Eastern homes, and an augmented reality installation that transports viewers to restored Islamic heritage sites.

The total grant amount represents project funding plus an additional 20% in unrestricted general operating support.

Recipient
Museum for Art in Wood

Museum for Art in Wood

Museum for Art in Wood is focused on art, craft, and design in the material of wood. Its permanent collection comprises roughly 1,200 objects, including turned objects, sculpture, studio furniture, works on paper, video, and more. In addition to its collection and rotating gallery space, it houses a research library, hosts artist residencies, and organizes The Wood Shed, a website for virtual studio tours, artist talks, craft tutorials, and more.

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