Expanding Dialogues of Diaspora: Examining Manifestations of Middle Eastern Art, Architecture and Patronage in the Americas


This panel examines diasporic Middle Eastern art and architectural traditions from a transregional, multi-faith, and multi-cultural perspective with emphasis on its diverse manifestations in the Americas– defined broadly to encompass not only the Northern Hemisphere, but also Central and South America. Art historical studies examining the visual culture of the Middle East through a global lens have only recently began to expand beyond traditional frameworks of Islamic art centered on the Near East and Central Asia into regions of Africa and Southeast Asia. Yet the diasporic creative production and patronage tied to Middle Eastern traditions extends far beyond these carefully delineated borders of faith and geography. This session features papers that delve into the less-researched global intersections of Middle Eastern art and architecture in the Americas, with particular interest in the manifold traveling forms, and histories associated with this visual legacy in places such as – but not limited to– Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Seeking to engage with a broad range of media, patronage networks and artistic agents, we aim to unpack issues such as migration and translation that are of critical salience in an endeavor to re-think and re-route the conventional borders and boundaries that prevalently define diasporic art of Middle East in the field today.

Field of Study:
Middle East
Latin America
North America
Caribbean
Central America

Chair:
Caroline Olivia Wolf,University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - oliviawolf1979@gmail.com
Discussant:
Fernando Luis Martinez Nespral,University of Buenos Aires - fmnespral@gmail.com

Masjid and Mezquita: Translating the Mosque in Contemporary Chile
Courtney Lesoon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology