Muslim Unity Center to host local artists in first art show
The Muslim Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills is showcasing several local artists in their first ever Local Muslim Talents and Art Show.
As Education Liaison for the Interfaith Committee of the unity center, Dima El-Gamal is leading the organizing committee for the event, set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 21.
“I noticed that we don’t showcase our talents,” said El-Gamal. “I was talking with one of our local artists about showcasing their talents and asked if other artists would like to display their work from an interfaith perspective. Art is a universal language, just like music.”
El-Gamal said the unity center used to have a display of calligraphy but it was very limited and they have never hosted a full art show with multiple seasoned and up-and-coming artists.
The interfaith committee put out a call to participate to local Muslim artists with guidelines on how to submit their entry.
As it’s their first art show, the committee is limiting the event to paintings only. About 10 artists were selected to display their work.
The show is free and open to the public with opportunities to purchase artwork from the artist. All proceeds go directly to the artist.
As a seasoned artist, Bloomfield Hills resident Maha Sergie will be displaying 10 of her acrylic pieces for the show. Most recently, two of her pieces were selected to be virtually displayed in the 37th annual Our Town Art Show in Birmingham.
Sergie has been interested in art and drawing all her life. Born and raised in Syria, she was surrounded by historical landmarks and monuments leading her to become an architect, which helped her learn the laws of perspective and depth within drawings.
About eight years ago she took to painting abstractions of architectural monuments, after retiring from a 30-year career as an architect.
“I don’t have a lot of representation in my paintings,” she said. “As music doesn’t need words to be beautiful, a painting doesn’t really need a presentation or objects to be beautiful.”
Sergie’s abstract pieces are inspired from emotions gathered from nature and people around her. Many of her pieces reflect a person’s feeling through color.
“I feel with the colors and play with colors,” Sergie said. “Each color has a meaning in the human mind and it reflects something in our mind.”
For Sergie, acrylic painting is not only therapeutic but a passion. She often works on multiple pieces at once as she will start a piece, shelf it for a few months, then come back with fresh eyes and ideas.
After spending so much time on each work of art, it’s natural for an artist to grow attached and have a difficult time letting go.
“It’s very difficult but you can’t really enjoy art or be successful unless it’s shared,” she said. “There is no real competition in art. If you see someone else’s painting you are happy for the painter and for the privilege to see it.”