Arts Culture & Entertainment
March 6, 2017
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 11
“Sandow Birk: American Qur’an” now on display in Eugene
“Sandow Birk: American Qur’an,” an
exhibit of approximately 200 individual
ink-and-gouache paintings of the text of
the Qur’an rendered in elaborate script by
artist Sandow Birk, is currently on display
at the University of Oregon’s Jordan
Schnitzer Museum of Art. The exhibit was
organized by and presented at the Orange
County Museum of Art in 2015-2016 and
this is the first time the show is being
viewed in an academic museum.
The idea for the exhibit came about
when Birk, a California-based social-
practice artist, wanted to learn more about
Islam, like many Americans after the
September 11 terrorist attacks. He read
the Qur’an and studied Islamic art,
literature, and culture, and he travelled to
countries around the world with
significant Muslim populations. He
became convinced that despite the U.S.
having recently engaged in wars with
Muslim nations as well as stateless
organizations, the text of the Qur’an offers
universal principles intended for all
nations. Taking that precept as a given, he
asked how the Qur’an might be more
meaningful to Americans in the second
decade of the 21st century.
With “American Qur’an,” Birk intro-
duces Islam’s holy book to non-Muslim
AMERICAN QUR’AN. “Sandow Birk: American
Qur’an,” an exhibit of approximately 200 individual
ink-and-gouache paintings of the text of the Qur’an
rendered in elaborate script based on Los Angeles
graffiti tags and scenes from contemporary American
life, is on view through March 19 at the Jordan
Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene, Oregon. Pictured
is “American Qur’an, Sura 4 A,” by Sandow Birk, ink
and gouache on paper, 16” x 24”, 2008-2009.
(Photo courtesy of Robert Mailer Anderson and
Nicole, Miner, San Francisco, California)
audiences and also affirms both the
richness of Islamic culture and religion
and Islam’s place in an America founded
by immigrants whose varied cultures have
enriched our society and been united in
their respect for America’s constitutional
values.
Birk created individual gouache
paintings of the text of the Qur’an
rendered in elaborate script based on Los
Angeles graffiti tags and scenes from
contemporary American life using a
copyright-free English translation. His
positioning of the text over the images
resulted in a blocking of parts of the
contemporary scenes, with the specifics of
place, character, and event partially and
intentionally obscured. In addition to the
ink-and-gouache-on-paper paintings, the
exhibit also features two large-scale
paintings not related directly to the Qur’an
as well as ceramics.
Adjacent to the display are examples of
hand-scribed, religious and secular texts
representing world religions and cultures,
including a Qur’an. Accompanying the
exhibit is a 400-page book published by the
Catherine Clark Gallery and W.W. Norton
& Company, with essays by Zareena
Grewal and Iftikhar Dadi and a preface by
Reza Aslan.
In today’s polarized America, the exhibit
aims to offer a timely opportunity to
remember why the United States was
founded and to appreciate and support
the diversity that makes it worth
preserving.
“Sandow Birk: American Qur’an” is on
view through March 19 at the Jordan
Schnitzer Museum of Art, located at 1430
Johnson Lane in Eugene, Oregon. To learn
more, call (541) 346-3027 or visit
<jsma.uoregon.edu>.
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contributing lead to your water?
2016 Exemplary Community Volunteer Award Recipient:
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Regional water providers found elevated levels of lead in
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Find out how to protect your family. Household plumbing,
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AR Photo/Jan Landis
Vietnamese Community of Oregon
The Vietnamese Community of Oregon (VNCO) was established in 1995 to unite
and support the voices of Vietnamese people in Oregon. The organization, which
seeks to represent the more than 29,000 Vietnamese living in the state, advocates
for community members, supports youth, and preserves and nourishes the
traditions of Vietnamese culture. Among its many activities, VNCO has offered free
tax service for low-income Vietnamese families; served meals to the homeless at
Potluck in the Park and breakfast to senior citizens at the Hollywood Senior
Center; entered floats in the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade; organized the
Memorial of the Fall of Sai Gon event; sent members to Washington, D.C. to
advocate for human rights in Vietnam with U.S congresspersons; and hosted its
two annual cultural events — the Mid-Autumn Festival and Tet, the Vietnamese
New Year. In addition, the organization reaches out to Sunday Vietnamese schools
to encourage volunteer teachers and to advocate for academic support for students.
To learn more, visit <www.vnco.org>.
The Asian Reporter Foundation is accepting nominations
for its 2017 “Exemplary Community Volunteer” awards.
The recognition banquet will be held Thursday,
April 20, 2017 at northeast Portland’s TAO Event Center.
Nomination forms and award guidelines are available
for download at <www.ARFoundation.net>.
The nomination deadline is Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 5:00pm.
The Asian Reporter Foundation’s 19th
Annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet features:
Most Honored Elder Awards
Cultural entertainment
Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards
Ethnic dinner
College Scholarship Awards
Silent auction