Discover Islamic Art at Princeton University
Sessions I & II on July 7 – 11, 2014, Monday – Friday & Sessions III & IV on July 14 – 18, 2014, Monday – Friday
MOSAIC by ASMA SHIKOH:
Asma will be introducing students to the art of Mosaic. Examples of highly sophisticated mosaics are found in Spain at the Great Mosque at Cordoba and the Alhambra Palace. Islam’s focus on the spiritual nature of reality over its physical appearance influenced the early adoption of mosaic art. Piecing tiny pieces together to create one whole, becomes a form of zikr and brings the artist closer to God.
Bio: The New York Times write that Asma Shikoh is “Working to create a new kind of Islamic Art, that is modern, westernized and female centric”. Asma Ahmed Shikoh has contributed important works in the discourse of Intersection of Islam, America and Identity. She has shown in solo and group shows across the US and abroad and continues to work with a mix of popular icons, religion, and socio political matters. She is a proud mother of three and currently lives in Marlboro, New Jersey, where she teaches and practices her art.
ILLUMINATION by LUBNA ZAHID:
The students will be introduced to the art of Illumination in Islamic art. They will be exposed to Arabesque, which is an important element in most of the manuscript illuminations. In this class, the students will explore the wonders of Islamic designs in manuscript illuminations. The students will understand different pattern studies and will understand how Islamic art is unique from other art forms. They will learn to draw and paint a designs and will take home a finished 8”X10” illumination.
Art is the mirror of a culture and its world view. There is no case to which this statement more directly applies than to the art of the Islamic world. The three elements of the Islamic decoration are, Calligraphy, Geometric patterns, and Arabesque, in this class we will focus on Arabesque. Islamic miniature painters were famous for their vivid colors, elegant brushwork, ornamental borders and masterful calligraphy. Amazingly the vivid and dazzling colors have not changed, artists of the modern times still use the same color palette. The students will learn to develop designs by repetition and consistency in individual motifs and incorporate them in modern or traditional art. During this session the students will be also shown various examples of Islamic art through photographs.
Bio: Lubna Zahid is a fine artist, her unique style represents traditional and contemporary Islamic culture. She has an over 25 years of painting experience. Working with different mediums has made her work very versatile. Lubna has been a student of a world renowned Calligrapher Ustad Baghdadi. Her illuminated work is a representation of her own culture.
MIXED MEDIA by WARDHA AKHTAR :
I have bachelors in fine arts from Pakistan from Punjab University and I have double majors bachelors from The College of New Jersey in art education and art history. I have taken Islamic, South Asian, and middle eastern art history classes.
I have taught at Montgomery School district middle school and Robbinsville High school as Art 2 and AP art teacher. I have taken part in exhibitions in India, Pakistan, Dubai and New Jersey. I am in the process of starting an art class for our Noor-Ul-Iman High School students.
PASTELS by YOUSSRA KANDIL:
Bio: I studied art for 5 years in the Faculty of Arts in Cairo Egypt and attained a BS in Graphics and Animation. I participated in a couple of Exhibits in Cairo Egypt as well as Muslims’ Art Exhibit in one of the Muslim Conventions in NJ.
ACRYLIC by MONA ABDALA
The Acrylic Class will explore Islamic themes while students get comfortable with acrylic painting techniques and color theory.
Class 1: Materials- paints, bowls for water, paper pallet, brushes, canvas paper, cups, rulers, printouts of circles for the project, pencils, charcoal. Students will learn how to mix and use color, and will do an assignment using an Islamic Geometry pattern.
Class 2: Materials- paints, bowls, paper pallets, brushes, canvas, pencils, charcoal, printouts of various Islamic images and architecture. Students will learn some painting techniques as well as a gridding technique to transfer their choice of Islamic image to canvas and paint using different ideas.
Bio: Mona Abdala is a visual artist who works primarily in oils and explores political, cultural, or religious themes in her work. She has been working as an artist and lecturer for over ten years and has exhibited extensively during that time, mostly in the US and Canada. She has also worked as an Art, Reading, and Language Arts teacher at NUI School, where she has been for over a decade. She has two daughters whom she loves to artistically collaborate with!
GEOMETRICAL DESIGNS by AREEJ SABZWARI:
Geometrical design has an underlying design process that consists of creativity and composition. Lines, circles, and basic shapes come together to form a pattern that lies in harmony with symmetry and color. This class will explore breathtaking examples in Islamic architecture and teach the process of creating your own intricate designs.
Bio: An Architect and Urban Planner by profession, Areej paints Islamic calligraphy through a lens of modern approach and a poetic style. Her work is rooted in mahabbah (love), ikhlaas (sincerity), and shukar (gratitude) to our Creator. With a fusion of cultures as a Pakistani-American born in 
Saudi Arabia and brought up in the US, her collection embodies a message of oneness. Given her design background, Areej places an emphasis on concept before she proceeds with her artwork and further ornaments it with calligraphy. She currently works at an International architecture firm in Midtown Manhattan, resides in Central New Jersey with her family, and is actively involved in a new construction of a masjid in her community.
ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY by AISHAH HOLLAND
Starting with the dot made by a broad edged pen we will take a dip into a drop of the vast ocean of Islamic calligraphy. Using traditional tools students will begin an introduction into the classical art of calligraphy in Islamic culture writing letters in Thuluth style calligraphy. We will look at samples of the works of great masters and acquaint ourselves with this historical art.
Day One: Hour 1 – Show students slides and take questions. Hour 2 – Distribution of materials and introduction to materials. Experimentation followed by writing independent letter forms.
Day Two: Review of independent letters. Copying simple on or two word calligraphic compositions. Creating monogram with 2 or 3 letters in our names.
Bio: Elinor Aishah Holland has a BA in Comparative Religion, Cum Laude, Temple University. Shehas Ijaza or certification to teach Thuluth and Naskh scripts from IRCICA, Istanbul 2013 and is an accomplished calligrapher in Latin script(s) as well. She is a prominent student of Master Calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya.
Program Director: Faraz Khan
