City Comes Together To Celebrate Art All Night

By Julianna Guthrie 

For one night only each year, university students, neighbors from all over D.C., and people from the suburbs come together to take part in the city-wide, all-night art festival. Last Saturday, in the spirit of the French festival, La Nuit Blanche, Washington D.C. had eight neighborhoods that hosts art exhibits, dance, theater shows, and film stay open all night. Dupont Circle was one of the participating neighborhoods this year and the Middle East Institute Art Gallery went all out to celebrate the night.

This Art All Night festival was brought to D.C. in 2011 and originated in the Shaw neighborhood. As it has grown each year, respective neighborhoods have had its own themes. The event is supported by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development. 

In the Middle East Art Institute Gallery, every room was filled with a diverse population of people, every person Arab and non-Arab alike, excited to take part in the culture for the night. There was a different activity to take part in at every turn, with an added benefit of the gardens in the back. 

The institute’s main exhibit, Arabicity, was accompanied by two musicians playing music in the traditional middle eastern style. This gallery featured modern art from 17 prime artists of the Arab world. The name “Arabicity” (Ourouba in Arabic), chosen by guest curator Rose Issa, means “the state of being Arab,” according to a description provided by the institute. 

One of the most striking pieces was the wall art found on the back wall of the room. Visitors eyes were drawn to the bright colors and pop-art style scenes. These pictures were a series of depictions done in stencil by the Egyptian artist, Chant Avedissian. 

In the following room, visitors could have their names written in Modern Standard Arabic or take a drink break with cocktails made in spirit of the region. In the back of the Institute, guests could retreat to a small garden area where there was seating and a display of “Amen figure” sculptures, created for the 2014 exhibition, “Amen: a prayer for the world,” that traveled between Cairo, New York, and Washington D.C.