GAMA (Gathering All Muslim Artists), in collaboration with the Muslim Writers Collective, would like to invite the Bay Area community to join us at the GAMA 2nd anniversary event and community showcase on Sep 9th. We will be “Building the Muslim Narrative” by celebrating and elevating our artists through an exhibition of visual art and photography, line up of poetry, live music, hip hop, and more.

GAMA is a local non-profit that supports and empowers artists in the Muslim community. The goal of this curated experience is to build the Muslim narrative by creating a platform for Muslim creatives who are exploring and expressing their narratives. This will include visual artists from GAMA: Gathering All Muslim Artists including painters, calligraphers, and photographers, as well as poets, spoken word, traditional, and contemporary musicians from Muslim Writers Collective. The Muslim narrative is not homogenous. There are as many narratives as there are Muslims. The only way to express any sense or semblance of truth is by creating space for a spectrum of narratives to be expressed.

Our performances include a lecture by Maytha Alhassen introducing the event and the vision, as well as poetry. This will be followed by a spotlight on (Wellness in Action) grant winners who will talk about their artwork about mental health in the Muslim community. GAMA visual artists: Gabril Garai, Yasmeen Rasheed, and Tamara Shoubber. The performances will include spoken word, storytelling, and more hosted by the Bay Area Muslim Writers Collective, Qais Essar accompanied by Neelamjit Dhillon, and This is Kayem. Iqbal Bhai, a North Bay artist and architect, will also be creating oil paintings live on stage during the musical performances.

At this community showcase, we will also be hosting a bazaar with merchandise designed by Muslim artists (as well as local Muslim organizations), Henna, sponsor tables, and more. We have confirmed sponsorship from local influential Muslim organizations who are dedicated supporters of the local Muslim community including Halalfest, an annual Halal food festival in the bay area.

For more information about our event please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2174121439296983/
Sunday Sep 9th, 2018 from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Islamic Center of Northern California, Oakland, CA
Tickets: $25 Early Bird until Sep 2 / $30 General Admission / $35 at the door BuildingTheMuslimNarrative2.EventCombo.com

Media Contact:
Abbas Mohamed, Executive Director
925-548-6530 info@thegamacollective.com
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Sep 9 Press Release