NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART OFFERS VARIETY OF
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN HONOR OF NEW ISLAMIC EXHIBITION "PALACE AND MOSQUE: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM"

Washington, DC-A touring exhibition of more than 100 works from one of the most renowned Islamic art collections in the world premieres at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from July 18, 2004, through February 6, 2005. In celebration of Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Gallery is pleased to offer a variety of related activities for the duration of the exhibition ranging from educational activities for all ages to a special three-part film series. Admission to the Gallery is free; all programs are free unless otherwise noted.

PUBLIC LECTURE PROGRAMS:

Artistic Exchange on the Mediterranean Rim: Islamic, Byzantine and European Art, Part I
October 3, 2004, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
East Building Auditorium

Artistic Exchange on the Mediterranean Rim: Islamic, Byzantine and European Art, Part II
November 20, 2004, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
East Building Auditorium

For both programs, noted specialists in Islamic, Byzantine and European medieval and renaissance art will present illustrated lectures on the masterworks in the exhibition and in the Gallery's permanent collection that highlight the gift-giving, trade, travel, collecting, and patronage that fostered cross-cultural artistic exchange.

Arts of Splendor: Islamic Luxury Goods in Renaissance Italy
October 31, 2004, 2:00 p.m.
East Building Auditorium

Rosamond E. Mack, author of Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300-1600, will lecture about the artistic interchange among Islamic, Byzantine, and European cultures. Mack has also worked with the Gallery on the special project, "Artistic Exchange: Europe and the Islamic World," which will launch in July.

GUIDED TOURS:

Gallery Talks on Palace and Mosque:Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum (60 mins.) by Philip Leonard and J. Russell Sale, will take place July 22, 24, 28, 29, and 30 at noon; July 21, 23, 27, and 29 at 1:00 p.m.; September 14, 16, 18, and 21 at noon; October 6, 7, 27, and 28 at 2:00 p.m.; and October 12, 15, 16, 19, and 21 at noon . All talks will take place in the East Building. For additional dates and times consult the Calendar of Events at the art information desks or visit www.nga.gov,

Student Tours: Beginning October 4, 2004, exhibition tours will be offered on even days for grades K - 12 at 10:15 a.m. To register, fax requests to 202-789-4974 at least four weeks in advance. Groups are limited to 50 students. A pre-tour packet will be sent to all those who schedule tours.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES:

J. Carter Brown Evening with Educators:
" Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum"
Wednesday, November 3, 2004, 4:00-7:30 p.m.
East Building
Fee: $20; for information call, 202-842-6796

Offered in collaboration with the Kennedy Center, this program features a slide lecture, self-guided tour of the exhibition, performance, and refreshments.

High School Studio Workshops
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Tuesdays:
November 9, November 16, November 30, December 7, December 14, January 11, January 25, and February 1

Fridays:
November 5, November 19, December 3, December 10, December 17, January 14, January 28, and February 4

High school classes are invited to explore Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum through an in-depth exhibition tour followed by a one-hour hands-on studio session. A teaching packet and other resources will be sent to each class prior to the tour. To register, teachers should select a date and call (202) 842-6880. Limit 30 students per session.

Teaching Packet
This classroom teaching guide will be available in late September and will include a workbook, slides, color reproductions, and a CD ROM. An online PDF version will be available also.

FAMILY WEEKEND:

"Explore Islamic Art"
Saturday, November 6, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 7, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
East Building, Ages 3 and up

Join us for a weekend of free, drop-in family programs. Explore art made for palaces and mosques. Learn about textiles, ceramics, and calligraphy. Daily activities include a variety of performances and hands-on art activities. For information, call (202)-842-6880.

For more dates and times, consult the Calendar of Events at the art information desks, visit www.nga.gov, or call (202)-842-6706. No reservations are required. Tours by special appointment may be arranged by calling (202)-842-6247 (adult groups of 20 or more) or by faxing 202-789-4974 (school groups of 40 or fewer).

CONCERTS:

Ariana Barkeshli, pianist
Music by Mussorgsky and Persian composers, Hossein, Khaleghi, and Mashayekhi
Sunday, November 21, 2004, 6:30 p.m.
West Building, West Garden Court

Gülsin Onay, pianist
Music by Liszt, Elgar, and Turkish composers Saygun and Durroglu-Demiriz
Sunday, January 23, 2005, 6:30 p.m.
West Building, West Garden Court

FILMS:

"Cinema from the Lands of Abraham," a three-stage festival of recent cinema from producers in Turkey, Iran, Algeria, Morocco, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Afghanistan, will be shown October 31, 2004 through mid-January 2005. The series has been organized in association with Shirin Ghareeb and the Middle East Institute, with appreciation to David Chambers and Erju Ackman.

Part I: October 31 through November 6
Four works by acclaimed Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, including his most recent work Uzak (Distant), winner of the Prix du Jury at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival

Part 2: November 7 through 27
Five films from Iran that were photographed, written, and directed by the women of the Makhmalbaf Film House in Tehran.

Part 3: January 2 through 16
An eclectic collection of Arab cinema from directors as diverse as Yousef Chahine, Hany Abu-Assad, Faouzi Bensaidi, Elia Suleiman, and Yamina Bachir concludes the festival.

AUDIO GUIDE:

Narrated by Gallery director Earl A. Powell III, this tour includes commentary by Tim Stanley, senior curator, Middle East, Asian Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Julian Raby, director, Freer Gallery of Art/Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; and Massumeh Farhad, chief curator and curator of Islamic Art, Freer Gallery of Art/Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. The audio tour will be available this fall for rental at the entrance of the exhibition for $5.

EXHIBITION BROCHURE:

A full-color brochure will be available free of charge at the entrance to the exhibition. A large-print version will be available from the audio tour desk at the entrance to the exhibition and from the art information desks.

ONLINE:

The National Gallery of Art is planning a special section on Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum for its award-winning Web site, which had more than ten million visitors last year. Get details at www.nga.gov/exhibitions/islamicinfo.htm.

NGAClassroom: This Web site especially for teachers and students will feature a PDF link to the teaching packet at www.nga.gov/education/classroom.

CATALOGUE:

The 144-page companion book to the exhibition, Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum, published by V&A Publications, London, is lavishly illustrated with 210 images in full color. It is coauthored by Tim Stanley, senior curator, Middle East, Victoria and Albert Museum, with Mariam Rosser-Owen and Stephen Vernoit. The catalogue will be available for $50 in hardcover and $35 in softcover in the Gallery Shops, by calling 1-(800)-697-9350 or (202) 842-6002, or on the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov/shop/shop.htm.

Please note: All programs are free unless otherwise noted, and open to the public; seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. For more information, the public should call (202) 737-4215, visit the Web site at www.nga.gov, or inquire at the art information desks.

This exhibition was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

The exhibition at the National Gallery of Art is generously sponsored by H.R.H. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States.

The international tour of this exhibition has been made possible by the generosity of Mohammed Jameel, the benefactor of the V&A's Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, which is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Abdul Latif Jameel, the late founder of the Abdul Latif Jameel Group, and his wife Nafisa.

The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

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NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART OFFERS VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN HONOR OF NEW ISLAMIC EXHIBITION "PALACE AND MOSQUE: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM"

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART OFFERS VARIETY OF
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN HONOR OF NEW ISLAMIC EXHIBITION "PALACE AND MOSQUE: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM"