Maboud Ansari, William Paterson professor of sociology (at the lectern), leads a panel discussion “Middle Eastern Arts and Culture in the U.S.A.” Panelists include (from left) John Livingston, William Paterson associate professor of history; David Shapiro, William Paterson professor of art; Tamara Issak ‘08, a William Paterson University alumna and recipient of a research grant from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program; Ginan Rauf, a Middle Eastern film specialist; and Shabaneh Ghassan, assistant professor of international studies, Marymount Manhattan College.

At the festival’s art exhibit, “One Thousand and One Nights,” were (from left) Zora Agheli Kassaii ’82, organizer of the Mahmoud Farshein exhibit; artist Nicky Nodjoumi, whose work was featured in the “One Thousand and One Nights” exhibit; Maboud Ansari, professor of sociology; Esmat Ansari; and Raymond Torres-Santos, dean, College of the Arts and Communication

The University’s inaugural Cross-Cultural Arts Festival, a weeklong arts festival that celebrated the wide range of cultures in the Middle East through highlighting the impact of the fine arts, music, and film in facilitating cross-cultural empathy and developing global connections, was held recently on the campus in Wayne.

The festival was developed by the University’s College of the Arts and Communication with assistance from the New Jersey Arab-American Heritage Commission, the New Jersey-Israel Commission, the City of Paterson, and the Muna and Basem Hishmeh Foundation.

“The idea behind the festival was to showcase the arts of other cultures as they relate to our own culture and art, and to find commonalities and differences,” says Raymond Torres-Santos, dean of the College of the Arts and Communication. “That way, our students and audiences gain a better understanding of how people from different cultures communicate with each other, and how the culture of a society demonstrates the shared values, understandings, assumptions, and goals that are learned from earlier generations, embraced by members of the current society, and passed on to the succeeding generations.”

The festival featured an art exhibit, a film series, a panel discussion, and arts and crafts fair, and a concert by a noted musician from the Middle East.