Ye Shall Inherit the Earth & Faces of the Divine Exhibition

Taurean J. Webb, Producer 

Ye Shall Inherit the Earth & Faces of the Divine is both a tribute to the beauty of African American and Arab culture, as well as a commentary about how all of humanity—regardless of social location or context—reflects the divine.

This exhibition is especially interested in fostering conversations at the intersection of religious expression, human rights, and culture in communities that would not ordinarily dialogue with such artists, cultures, or perspectives.

"Spirit Keeper" Lilith- Quietest Moment is Before Dawn, 

Acrylic on Paper,  60" x 84"

"Spirit Keeper" Lilith- Acrylic on Paper,  60" x 84"

Tentatively set to begin in 2022 and sponsored by Harvard University's Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative, this exhibition aims to capture the spirit of culture and freedom-making in moments when they transcend the boundaries of the group, nation, religious affiliation, or class, bringing us closer to the possibilities present in global solidarity work (or joint struggle/s). In the US and elsewhere worldwide, there is a rich history of collective liberation efforts between African- and Arab- descended communities, all fighting similar issues of xenophobia, racism, gender-based injustices, and other similar social problems. For this reason, the following installation centralizes the works and lived experiences of US-based artists who self-identify as either Palestinian/ Palestinian-American and African American, working in painting, sketch, and/or photography.

Call for Submissions

The Ye Shall Inherit The Earth juried exhibition welcomed submissions from visual artists, working specifically in painting, sketch, and/or photography, and self-identifying as US-based members of the Palestinian or African diasporas. As a result, a modest number of visual artists/ works (along with one or two-word artists) were selected for inclusion in the exhibition, which will begin at Harvard University, then travel to a few additional locations across the country.

The selection jury will be specifically interested in portraiture (broadly defined and of any size) regarding the exhibition itself.

The only guiding theme was the following: works that represent the range of ways in which ordinary, everyday, mundane human experience nevertheless reflects the divine—ie, the beauty of humanity / the beauty of creation / the wonder of religious expression / the strength of culture and/or the spirit of liberation.

However, within this theme, artists should feel free to take creative license in submitting whichever work(s) from their existing corpus makes the most sense. Therefore, submissions grounded in any genre or artistic tradition are were welcomed.

The exhibition will also include a short video montage featuring the selected artists talking briefly about their included work. The montage will be on display with the collection at its different venues.