Dubai art exhibition ‘The Sublime Nature of Being’ explores ‘sense of wonder’

Dubai art exhibition ‘The Sublime Nature of Being’ explores ‘sense of wonder’
Nadim Karam's “Silent Thinker” (2024) is on show at the exhibition. (Supplied)
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Updated 29 January 2025
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Dubai art exhibition ‘The Sublime Nature of Being’ explores ‘sense of wonder’

Dubai art exhibition ‘The Sublime Nature of Being’ explores ‘sense of wonder’

DUBAI: Set to run until Feb. 22, Dubai’s ICD Brookfield Place is playing host to an exhibition that explores the sense of wonder that accompanies being in awe.

“The Sublime Nature of Being,” a collaboration with ICD Brookfield Arts program, is curated by Ambika Hinduja Macker, who brought together the work of 15 international artists to lead visitors on a journey through moments of awe and reverence inspired by the grandeur of nature.

“The sublime is an overwhelming sense of wonder, a feeling that transcends words and logic, pulling us into a moment of pure awe and connection. It’s what happens when we encounter something so profound, so vast, that it stirs both our soul and our senses, leaving us simultaneously humbled and uplifted. ‘The Sublime Nature of Being’ is my attempt to offer a tangible glimpse of this elusive feeling,” Macker told Arab News.

Is it a reimagining of her 2022 immersive art experience of the same name and the curator — who is the founder and creative director of art and design firm Impeccable Imagination — describes the experience as an alchemic sonic environment, one that “blends ancient techniques of sound healing with cutting-edge technologies to create an immersive soundscape rooted in reflection and renewal.”

Specially commissioned artists include US contemporary artist Jacob Hashimoto, French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, Belgian sculptor and contemporary artist Fred Eerdekensm Lebanese multi-disciplinary artist Nadim Karam and Brazilian artist Janaina Mello, among others.

“As a curator, my role is to weave these diverse expressions into a cohesive yet ephemeral narrative, creating an environment where materials, mediums, and artistic visions engage in dialogue with one another,” Macker explained.

The exhibition features a celebration of the five elements — “water, fire, earth, air, and spirit permeate the venue, each with its own curated space and featured works, all within a larger, interconnected environment,” the curator noted.

Works include several sculptures by Lebanese artist Karam, including “Silent Thinker” (2024), a polished stainless steel piece.

“(Karam) has developed a distinctive artistic language rooted in memory, space, and collective identity,” Macker explained. “His work embodies profound, ongoing reflections on societal diversity and pressing global issues, yet he seamlessly juxtaposes these important themes with playful, even absurdist, touches.”

A short walk away is “The Aquifer” (2024) by Hashimoto, a wall-hanging work featuring bamboo, acrylic, paper, wood and dacron.

Colourful, pattern-printed discs are suspended by wire between pegs in the mesmerizing work that is just one of the many emotive pieces on show.

Despite the effort involved in bringing together 15 artists, Macker says the most challenging aspect of bringing “The Sublime Nature of Being” to fruition “was transforming a vibrant public hub without disrupting its accessibility or the daily rhythms of those who frequent it.”


Contemporary art at the Islamic Arts Biennale 

Contemporary art at the Islamic Arts Biennale 
Updated 21 February 2025
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Contemporary art at the Islamic Arts Biennale 

Contemporary art at the Islamic Arts Biennale 
  • Curator Muhannad Shono discusses how contemporary works bridge present, past and future 

JEDDAH: “The role of contemporary (art) is to act as a link between the past, our present and this imagining of our future,” says Muhannad Shono, contemporary art curator at the second Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, which opened in January and runs through May. 

Shono’s section of the biennale features 30 new commissions from local and international artists “giving shape to the theme,” which this year is “And All That is in Between” — drawn from a Qur’anic verse: “To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between” — guiding artists and audiences to reflect on the spaces that exist between known boundaries, whether physical, spiritual, or conceptual. 

Set across multiple indoor galleries and integrated into outdoor spaces, the contemporary works are woven seamlessly into the Biennale’s landscape alongside ancient artifacts. 

Muhannad Shono. (Supplied)

One striking example is in the AlMidhallah section, where Japanese artist Takashi Kuribayashi’s installation, “Barrels,” features a formation of oil barrels from which a tree emerges, with reflective mirrors blurring the line between man-made and natural elements.  

Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi’s “Zubaydah Trail (Between Sacred Cities),” meanwhile, is an immersive space where visitors are invited to kick off their shoes and sit and reflect between the Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Madinah Al-Munawwarah biennale pavilions. Deeply saturated, vibrant strips of color make the space feel both playful and serious at once. Each color and shape carries symbolic meaning — the zig-zag pattern represents the streaming water of Makkah’s Zamzam well, while the green hue evokes the peacefulness of Madinah. 

There are many other beautiful works, such as Saudi artist Bilal Allaf’s “What I Heard in the Valley,” which draws inspiration from Sa’i, the ritual walk performed by pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah. 

“The overall theme of the biennale is interpreted across five galleries and, of course, across the contemporary interpretations as well,” says the biennale’s artistic director Abdul Rahman Azzam. Contemporary art here serves as a bridge, as Shono suggested, linking the past, present, and possible futures. 

Takashi Kuribayashi's 'Barrels.' (Supplied)

AlBidaya, which translates to “the beginning,” is one of the galleries where this concept comes to life, exploring the emotional connections between objects and ideas. 

“In the beginning, we were kind of focusing on the heavens and the earth. But then we realized that the true power and potential of this biennale is ‘all that is in between,’” Shono tells Arab News. “This idea of the inclusive, the expansive, the layered, the transformative space that is liminal, that is not interested in its edges, it’s not focused on the binary of options of right and wrong and light and dark and good and evil. It is more interested in that new space that we are exploring.”  

Shono was a featured artist at the first Islamic Arts Biennale in 2023. His role this time is very different, but it’s an opportunity he embraced wholeheartedly. 

“I responded yes immediately and I threw myself into the work,” he says. “It was a shift in priorities, it was a shift in what I thought my year was going to look like, and it was completely kind of throwing yourself into the process, into motion. 

“The most surprising part about preparing was how natural it felt. (I wanted to make sure) that I went through this with a smile, and because I experienced the last edition, I knew what it was going to end up feeling like. So it wasn’t an attempt to top anything or compete with anything but more to do it honestly and naturally, as I would do my own work.” 

Imran Qureshi’s 'Zubaydah Trail (Between Sacred Cities).' (Supplied)

What was especially important to him as a curator was working with younger Saudi artists and emerging voices. 

“The word ‘change’ is used a lot here in Saudi and the Biennale really embodies that, bringing in the past — which was very rigid… did not want to be negotiated with, did not want to change its narrative or the parameters of its definitions and space — and bringing contemporary thoughts embodied in contemporary art practices, whose roles are to question, think laterally, reimagine, reinterpret,” he says. “It’s a big testimony to what the country’s going through. And so when I was invited, I really wanted to do it — this speaks to my work and I wanted to extend that into the role of curation.” 

Many of the featured artists were present at the opening, engaging with visitors. “(Art) is not just about showing things; it’s about experiencing things, exchanging things. It responds to your presence. It reacts to you,” says Shono. 

He is grateful to see so many visitors eager to engage with Saudi Arabia’s art scene. The experience, he believes, speaks for itself. 

“Every visit, every person who takes that leap of faith — beyond the stereotypes — is enacting change, is experiencing something that can’t be reversed because you’re really coming in contact with the truth, with people, their lives, their generosity, their authenticity,” he says. 

While he is curating the spaces, he does not want to curate the impressions. 

“I think most of the people are coming here and seeing for themselves what is going on in this country,” he says. “I grew up here in Saudi, so to see a country go through this very rooted experiment of social change… it’s important for it to succeed not only for the sake of this country, but for the entire region.” 


New ‘Captain America’ movie is an exercise in empathy, says star 

New ‘Captain America’ movie is an exercise in empathy, says star 
Updated 21 February 2025
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New ‘Captain America’ movie is an exercise in empathy, says star 

New ‘Captain America’ movie is an exercise in empathy, says star 
  • Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford discuss the Mackie’s first outing as iconic superhero 

DUBAI: In the latest, long-delayed, chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — “Captain America: Brave New World,” directed by Julius Onah — audiences are ushered into a transformative new era as Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson takes up the iconic shield last wielded by Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. 

Mackie says the role redefines what it means to be a superhero, especially because, unlike his predecessor, Wilson doesn’t have the advantage of taking a super-soldier serum. 

“I think (the film) has a huge amount of hope and empathy. Sam Wilson never took the super-serum. Being a counsellor and a humanitarian and a leader, there’s a certain amount of empathy and understanding that he has to go into conflicts with; brute force cannot be his first option. Because, for him, there’s consequences. He can actually die. He’s a regular person,” Mackie told Arab News. “I want people to see Sam Wilson and recognize a bit of themselves in him, because of how humane, humble, and kind he is.” 

Joining Mackie in this new era is Hollywood icon Harrison Ford, making his Marvel debut as President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, a role he inherited from the late William Hurt. 

For Ford, who also portrays the Red Hulk in the film, stepping into the MCU was an unexpected but exciting challenge. 

“I (know) how successful and beloved these films are, and I thought it was an intriguing world to explore,” Ford said. “They brought me a part that had a little taste of everything. To play the president and the Red Hulk in the same film? I’ve never been offered anything like that before.” 

Director Julius Onah, Xosha Roquemore, and Anthony Mackie behind the scenes. (Supplied)

Beyond the spectacle, Ford was drawn to the film’s emotional core, particularly his character’s personal struggles. “I think we made a very entertaining film, but also one with real humanity. What attracted me was the dilemma he faces with his daughter, his estrangement, his past mistakes, and his desire to fix them. That failure intrigued me, especially in a Marvel film.” 

Producer Nate Moore says he’s especially grateful for Ford taking on the role. 

Danny Ramirez as The Falcon and Anthony Mackie in 'Captain America - Brave New World.' (Supplied)

“He’s a Hollywood legend — incredibly talented. And what’s great about Harrison is that he really loves Bill Hurt’s performance, and felt like he wanted to build on that, rather than do an imitation. So this Thunderbolt Ross is something Harrison crafted on his own, but based on where the character had been before,” said Moore. 

“And I think narratively, what’s cool is both Ross and Sam find themselves trying to fill really big shoes and ultimately find themselves on the opposite side of an issue that that puts them on a direct collision course, which is a ton of fun.” 

The film’s production hasn’t been without controversy. Apart from rumors of lengthy and extensive reshoots, “Brave New World” ran into further trouble when Israeli actress Shira Haas got the role of Ruth Bat-Seraph, aka Sabra, an Israeli superhero and Mossad agent. 

Takehiro Hira, Anthony Mackie, and Harrison Ford in 'Captain America - Brave New World.' (Supplied)

While the character’s Mossad ties and background have been scrubbed for the film, the character is still Israeli. 

“The Ruth Bat-Seraph that we meet in ‘Brave New World’ is different to her comic counterpart, as a lot of our heroes are,” Moore said. “Very rarely can we do a one-to-one translation of a comic book, because comics occupy such a different space, and sometimes they’re incredibly dated. But what we thought was interesting was our Ruth Bat-Seraph works within the US government, very close to President Ross, so her perspective on him is different to Sam’s, and that puts these two characters at odds.” 

Regardless of the film’s challenges, Moore believes it will resonate with audiences. 

“I think the film may be surprisingly emotional for some people, because it really asks the questions ‘Can a man be redeemed?’ And ‘Is there a way to find common ground with somebody who you assume to be in opposition to yourself?’ Art can only do so much, but I do think we live in a world that is increasingly complicated, where opinions are increasingly stratified, and Sam’s superpower is his empathy; he tries to build connections with people. And if people take that away with them, I think that’s a win.” 


Ismail Gulgee, late Pakistani calligrapher and abstract artist, honored with dedicated museum

Ismail Gulgee, late Pakistani calligrapher and abstract artist, honored with dedicated museum
Updated 58 min 11 sec ago
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Ismail Gulgee, late Pakistani calligrapher and abstract artist, honored with dedicated museum

Ismail Gulgee, late Pakistani calligrapher and abstract artist, honored with dedicated museum
  • Amin Gulgee opens doors to museum showcasing father’s work at family home in Karachi
  • Gulgee ‘demanded’ his residence by converted into a museum during his lifetime, a wish fulfilled by son this week

KARACHI: Renowned Pakistani artist Amin Gulgee said on Wednesday his parents had wished to convert their residence in the port city of Karachi into a museum, a desire he fulfilled this week by establishing the Gulgee Museum and opening its doors to the public to preserve his father’s artwork.
Ismail Gulgee, Amin’s father, was one of the most recognized figures in Pakistan’s art community, known for his calligraphic and abstract expressionist paintings. Originally trained as an engineer, he transitioned to art and gained fame for his portrait paintings before shifting toward abstract work influenced by Islamic visual heritage.
His dynamic, large-scale paintings often featured thick, textured strokes, drawing inspiration from Sufism and traditional Islamic artistic motifs. Exhibiting his work in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, he achieved international recognition during his lifetime.
Tragically, in December 2007, Gulgee and his wife were found murdered in their home in Karachi, an incident that shocked the country. His legacy, however, endures, with his works displayed in galleries, private collections and public spaces in Pakistan and beyond.
“My parents demanded that after their demise, their place should be turned into a museum,” his son, a recognized artist himself, told Arab News, saying he started working on “reimagining” the place two years ago.

The photograph taken on February 18, 2025 shows art work displayed at the Gulgee Museum in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN)

The museum displays his father’s sketches, mosaics in lapis lazuli, paintings and sculptures.
“The collection comes from 1950 to 2007 with over 170 artworks,” he continued.
Amin is also the museum’s curator and has kept an archival collection of his father’s photographs, who witnessed the birth of Pakistan. The images feature Gulgee showing his work to President Charles de Gaulle of France in the 1960s and Benazir Bhutto in the 1990s, among others.
“I have divided the museum into 17 sections spread over 13 rooms on two floors, and I have written about each section,” he said. “Later, we are going to have a museum handbook that will come out. But for now, we have wall text in the museum, and we also have a QR code which translates all my English text into Urdu.”

Visitors look at a sculpture showcasing Quranic calligraphy at the Gulgee Museum in Karachi, Pakistan, on February 19, 2025. (AN)

Amin went about transforming his parents’ home in collaboration with architect Samina Anjarwalla, who said that they broke a lot of walls, as the space previously comprised bedrooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms.
“The structure was a big challenge for us,” she told Arab News, adding that the idea was to preserve the country’s heritage along with Gulgee’s work.
“We kept [the building] very simple, very plain [and] very modern so that the work speaks for itself,” she added.
Karachi does not have many art museums, making it challenging to preserve artworks in many cases.
“I think it is wonderful for the city of Karachi [to have Gulgee Museum],” Mehreen Ilahi, who runs an art gallery called Majmua, told Arab News.
“Initiatives like these, including the different ways of preserving art, are extremely important,” she continued. “Other than this, Karachi only has the National Museum and Mohatta Palace Museum. It was very important that this became a museum because Gulgee is no longer alive, and his work must be preserved.”

The photograph taken on February 18, 2025 shows art work displayed at the Gulgee Museum in Karachi, Pakistan. (AN)

Asked about his future plans, Amin said there was a lot more to come.
“The next project of the museum is the Gulgee Museum Handbook, which is a 320-page book with 13 academic essays written on Ismail Gulgee,” he said. “We are about 80 percent done, and as soon as this opening is over, I go back to the project of the book.”


Music has no boundaries, its language transcends everything: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Music has no boundaries, its language transcends everything: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
Updated 20 February 2025
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Music has no boundaries, its language transcends everything: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Music has no boundaries, its language transcends everything: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
  • I feel at home when I am in Saudi Arabia, I would like to collaborate with the Saudi Orchestra, says Sarod maestro
  • Khan took his teaching philosophy to Stanford University, Indiana University, Washington University in a residency; keen to do workshops with Saudi musicians

RIYADH: The internationally acclaimed sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, who gave a virtuoso performance of the stringed instrument in Riyadh recently, told Arab News: “Music has no boundaries, and does not belong to any religion.

“Its language transcends everything. In every religion, music is the way to reach God.”

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Khan shared the experience of his maiden concert at the Cultural Palace, Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh: “I feel extremely fortunate to be here.

“It’s a great honor to come to Riyadh and I am grateful to the Indian embassy, our ambassador Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, and the entire team of people behind this concert.”

The Sarod quintet concert, “Three Generations, One Melody,” was organized by the Embassy of India in collaboration with the Diplomatic Quarter Office at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, and featured Khan’s two sons and grandsons who are virtuosos in their own right.

Khan said: “We are invited all over the world. The Western world has given a lot of respect and love to classical music, because music I feel is a precious gift of God, and has connected the world.

“Music does not belong to any religion, like flowers, air, water, fire, fragrance, colors. They are just gifts of God and we have to learn from the role of flowers, and sound.”

Khan was born into a family of musicians, with the lineage reaching back to his great grandfather.

Khan’s father, Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan of Gwalior, was one of the foremost classical instrumentalists of his time.

Born in 1877, he belonged to the fifth generation in the Bangash family that is credited with the sarod’s origin and development.

UNESCO has since declared Gwalior as its creative capital of music.

“This legacy and lineage is a very big blessing of God Almighty,” Khan said. “When God is kind then the legacy continues, otherwise so many legacies discontinue as well.”

Khan was awarded India’s second highest civilian honor Padma Vibhushan in 2001, after being awarded its third highest civilian honor Padma Bhushan in 1991 and Padma Shree in 1975.

Khan cited the melodious voices from the mosque in the form of the call for prayer (Azaan) and the recitation from the Holy Qur’an. “They are really appealing.”

He said that he was happy to visit the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

“When I hear Azaan in Saudi Arabia or in the Middle East, I am so much reminded what kind of Azaan Hazrat Bilal must have given,” he said, referencing the historical figure of Bilal ibn Rabah who is considered to have given the first ever Azaan.

“So I look forward to hearing beautiful, appealing Azaan, which I experienced in Makkah and Madinah and all over the Middle East.

“But in India, unfortunately, the muezzin, the people who make the call to prayer, I think they need a lot of training.”

Khan told a story of how his father once gave some feedback to the muezzin of a neighboring mosque.

“One day he heard the Azaan from the neighboring mosque that was not very much in tune. So my father, being a musician, got so disturbed and he sent a message to the mosque and the priest that for next Azaan, he will come himself and make the call to prayer.”

“Call to prayer should be appealing,” the sarod player said.

The sarod is a fretless stringed instrument with a teak frame, a goatskin sound table and a metal fingerboard, with six to eight strings as well as additional sympathetic strings. The instrument lends itself to improvisation and graceful expression because of the ability of the musician to slide and glide between notes, much like a human voice.

“It’s very unfortunate that I don’t get a chance to perform and come to Saudi Arabia quite often. I feel at home when I am in Saudi Arabia,” said the Sarod maestro who performed Umrah in 2012.

“I hope and wish, I get more chances to perform in Saudi Arabia. It will be a great honor and pleasure, some day, if all of us could pay our respect through our music to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his family,” the legendary artist added.

“My opening piece at the concert, ‘Three Generations, One Melody,’ was a tribute to Saudi Arabia. I played a Saudi Arabian tune on my sarod. My instrument is like the oud, a very historical ancient instrument of Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East. Oud rabab still exists all over the world, especially Afghanistan and Kashmir. So from rabab, it was modified to sarod. Sarod is a Persian word, which means music, melody,” he explained.

Khan has played with Iraqi oud artist Rahim AlHajj and produced an album, “Ancient Sounds: Music of Iraq and India,” in 2009. It was nominated for a Grammy award.

He said he was interested in collaborating with Saudi Arabia’s national orchestra, speaking about an orchestral composition he penned called “Samagam,” which means “the confluence of many cultures.”

His passion for bringing the sarod to new audiences has seen him being awarded numerous residencies as well as being appointed visiting professor at several universities, including Stanford University, University of New Mexico, York University and Jacob’s School of Music.

Khan expressed hope that people will realize the value of music: “With appealing music, plants grow faster, cattle give more milk, and now the medical world (is) realizing the value of music, they are using it as music therapy.”


Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition

Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition
Updated 20 February 2025
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Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition

Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition
  • Visitors flock to Roshn Front to check out latest creations by 30 international, local artists
  • Saudi artist Rawan Al-Shehri’s piece, titled Spontaneity, is composed of three large, curved pieces crafted with two different stones

RIYADH: At the sixth Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium — a Riyadh Art initiative to beautify the city with public artworks — visitors have flocked to Roshn Front to check out the latest creations by 30 international and local artists.

This year’s theme, “From Then to Now: Joy in the Struggle of Making,” has pushed artists to widen the idea of what a completed artwork really is, and encouraged them to consider ways in which the process of creation could be more engaging to a public audience.

During the opening of the symposium last month, at which 30 artists began their sculpting journey on raw stone, co-curator Sebastian Betancur-Montoya told Arab News: “Art tends to be this idea of the artist as a sort of genius and the ideas are kind of obscure. It’s not clear where things come from, or how things are made.

“I thought it was very interesting to create a space — this event — where the interest was not in the final product, but the whole creative, physical, and intellectual process behind those pieces.”

Saudi artist Rawan Al-Shehri’s piece, titled “Spontaneity,” is composed of three large, curved pieces crafted with two different stones. The piece is designed to promote playfulness and invite public interaction.

She told Arab News: “My work focuses on how artists can sometimes believe they must produce the perfect art piece, but I think the focus should be the process of building an art piece — the joy in it and being more natural, or in our element, during our work.

“We could be faced with challenges or hurdles that change or enhance, even, the work itself and make it unique.”

Rather than keeping the viewer at bay, she hopes that the work will pull them in, adding: “They can sit on parts of it, slide on a corner, or even climb on a piece.”

Saudi artist Ali Al-Tokhais’ sculpture “Care and Interest in the Content” draws inspiration from the positive and cohesive relationship between the leadership of the Kingdom and society.

The 3-meter sculpted piece of granite resembles a spiral, with 13 lines marking its center to symbolize the number of regions in the Kingdom — each rich in cultural, economic, and social diversity.

He told Arab News: “This sculpture embodies the spirit of Saudi Arabia in all its regions, with a forward-looking vision led by Vision 2030, which has focused on the development of both people and place, with the homeland becoming a safe haven for the diversity and multiplicity that distinguish the Kingdom’s regions within a unified national framework.”

Al-Tokhais’ art journey began with creating wood figures using carpentry and blacksmithing techniques. From there, the passion evolved, leading him into the world of stone sculpting in which he said he found “a means of expressing ideas and emotions” in the material.

He added: “I began to explore new dimensions of art that reflected both cultural and human identity.”

The exhibition is an invitation to explore the cultural and creative world embodied in each sculpture.

Al-Tokhais said: “It is a gathering where we share moments of beauty and deep reflection, further enhancing Riyadh’s position as a global destination for arts and creativity.”

He emphasized the importance of local and international art forums in enriching the art scene and enhancing the exchange of experiences among sculptors worldwide, adding: “Art forums have always provided exceptional opportunities for growth and development, as they allow artists to explore new methods and expand their creative horizons.

“Through my various contributions, both in Saudi Arabia and internationally, I have been able to develop my artistic vision and refine my techniques, which are reflected in my works and my unique style in sculpture.”

The exhibition mirrors the public engagement program of the live sculpting phase, which featured panel discussions, workshops, masterclasses, and guided tours — prompting visitors to further engage with the artists’ creative processes and the significance of contemporary sculpture until the event’s conclusion on Feb. 24.

Co-curator Dr. Manal Al-Harbi said at the opening: “The forum is not limited only to displaying sculptures, but rather provides a rich interactive experience through community activities that give the public the opportunity to learn about sculpting techniques, speak with artists, and participate in the creative process, which enhances interaction with the arts and makes them part of daily life.”