(The Bridge)- A traveling exhibition.

February 2-28, 2015

The Bridge is a traveling exhibition organized and curated by CARAVAN (www.oncaravan.org). The exhibition will showcases the work of 47 premier and emerging Arab, Persian and Jewish visual artists (47 paintings of 60x80/80x60cm in size) around the theme of what “bridges” us to each other.
The Bridge will travel within Europe, then to Cairo, Egypt and then throughout United States for an 18-month period and will be exhibited in a variety of venues (cathedrals, sacred spaces, governmental headquarters, museums, galleries, interfaith centers, etc). The Bridge will open in February 2015 with a month-long exhibition in Paris, France at the historic Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, in the Latin Quarter, the oldest church in Paris. The opening in Paris is during United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week.
In The Bridge, each artist has submitted one original work of art on canvas, wood or paper (done specifically for the exhibition) addressing the theme on a set size (60x80/80x60cm). Each artist has also provided an artist’s statement about their respective piece.
Strategic venues have been selected for exhibition in Europe, Egypt and the USA: 4-5 key capital cities in Europe (i.e. Paris, London, Brussels, Rome), Cairo-Egypt (the “capital of the Middle East), 3-4 strategic large cities in the USA (New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago or Houston), followed by mid-size cities in the USA (“Middle America”) beginning in Wyoming.
A conservative estimate is that between 250,000-300,000 people will physically visit the exhibition through venues selected over the course of 18 months.
A Review--Reasons for the Exhibition
In the midst of the increasing chasm of discord and misunderstanding that exists between the Middle East and the West, and between Christians, Muslims and Jews, our day calls for a new kind of movement: not of belief, or of religious unity, but one that builds on what we hold in common. As a multicultural and multi-religious group of participating artists, The Bridge exhibition is making the case for using that which we have in common as the foundation for the future of our world.

The overall goal of The Bridge, a unique intercultural and interfaith visual art exhibition, is to create better understanding and build genuine relationships between individuals of different faith and cultural backgrounds.

The Bridge serves as a catalyst for diverse peoples to come together, to provide understanding and create deeper respect for each other. It also is a means to encourage new friendships to be made across religions and cultures. The Bridge in this sense becomes an “Encounter Point” helping to change negative stereotypes and alleviate fears that exist toward encouraging intercultural and inter-religious friendships.

CARAVAN’s experience has shown that the Arts can serve as one of the most effective mediums to enhance understanding, bring about respect, enable sharing, and deepen friendship between those of different faiths and cultures from the Middle East and West.
Participating Artists
The 47 artists selected for The Bridge cover a broad geographic area, with the majority coming from the Middle East. Participating artists include women and men, from premier contemporary artists to emerging younger artists, and that use a variety of artistic mediums, from the three primary monotheistic faith backgrounds and 15 countries.

About the Exhibition Schedule
1) Opening--Paris, France (February 2-28, 2015)
The Bridge will officially open in Paris, France at the historic Church of St. Germain des Pres with a “soft opening” on February 2 at 5 PM. However, there will be a VIP Official Opening (Program and Reception) on February 8 at 4-6 PM.
2) The final dates for the exhibition to go to Brussels, Belgium at the European Parliament headquarters, and to Rome at The Vatican, are still being arranged.
3) London, England (June and July 2015)
The Bridge will be exhibited at the famous St. Martin in the Field's on Trafalgar Square (next to the National Gallery of Art) in June and July (for two months).
4) Cairo, Egypt: The Founding Sponsor for The Bridge is SODIC in Egypt, and so the exhibition will also go to Egypt for a month sometime between March and May 2015 before it moves to the USA.