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At a time when divides between Jews and Muslims seem to be normalized, artists Sama Alshaibi and Beth Krensky's work in this exhibition creates a space for dialogue between the two traditions. Gloria Anzaldua wrote about “counterstance” in Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza:
This exhibition is based on Anzaldua’s work and creates the opportunity for the artists, a Muslim-American and a Jewish-American, perhaps at times standing on opposite banks—understanding the situation from different vantage points—to share common ground as we explore difference, bridges, dialogue and possible new paths. The artist Krystof Wodiczko calls for the creation of a public space that can, at once, hold disparate viewpoints in a civil way. It could be a space with contested meanings; nevertheless, a shared space that can act as a limen—a region marking a boundary as well as a threshold connecting two spaces or places. This exhibition is a metaphorical limen that creates an opening for dialogue between the artists, between the works of art, and hopefully among and between the viewers as well as between the American-Muslim and American-Jewish communities. “We Make the Road By Walking” comes from a line by the Spanish poet Antonio Machado: “Se hace camino al andar,” or “You can make the way as you go.” The phrase was also used as the title for a book by Paulo Freire and Myles Horton on education and social change. The idea for this exhibition began when curator, Dr. George Rivera, introduced Beth Krensky and Sama Alshaibi to each other five years ago. During conversations the artists had during the past five years, they have found much common ground both in their approach to art making and their life circumstances (a history of diaspora, the journeys of their forebears, the tradition of motherhood and peace activism, to name just a few shared characteristics). Since that time, they have exhibited together in the United States, Israel and Palestine. This exhibition marks the first major two-person exhibition of their combined work.
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