Haig Papazian is a Lebanese Armenian artist, composer, and architect born in Beirut. He is a founding member and violinist Mashrou’ Leila, the Lebanese pop band whose electro-pop anthems about political freedoms, race, and modern Arabic identity have challenged the status quo of the Middle-Eastern music industry. Their politically-charged lyrics have led to the band experiencing censorship and persecution in many countries, brought on by religious and state authorities, as well as popular outcry. Many of the band’s appearances, including concerts and speaking engagements, have been forcibly canceled by the regulating authorities.

An architect by training, Haig has participated in the inaugural edition of the Home Workspace program in Beirut, and has completed his graduate studies in Architectural history at the Bartlett school of Architecture in London. Papazian’s visual work, which explores the intersections between city-making processes, cultural productions and undocumented historical narratives, has been shown in Sharjah at SB11 March Meeting 2013, at Homeworks 6 in Beirut, Videonale15 in Germany, and at Gallery Kit in Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, Norway.

Alongside Mashrou’ Leila, Haig has performed at sold out venues and festivals across the Arab region, Europe, and North America. He’s been an artist in residence at NYU; has campaigned with Greenpeace in an initiative to promote solar energy across the Mediterranean, and has participated in the BLOCK 9 & BANKSY Creative Retreat alongside Brian Eno, Roisin Murphy and more. He has held public talks at NYU, Columbia University, Concordia, Darmouth College, Sciences Po, and has recently performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as part of Oliver Beer’s Vessel Orchestra. Haig has recently published an op-Ed in the New York Times on the cost of being queer and Arab and for France Culture, a love letter in the form of an essay to “Beyrouth et Beyrouth, travail en cours.”

SHIM:NYC (“Safe Haven Incubator for Music NYC”) is a six month creative and professional residency and mentorship program for international musicians who are persecuted or censored for their work. Hosted at Westbeth Artists Housing, SHIM:NYC was launched by AFI and Tamizdat, and is part of our New York City Artist Safe Haven Residency Program. Haig will be the first SHIM:NYC musician-in-residence to benefit from our new partnership with New York Voices, a program of Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater.

New York Voices is the artist commissioning program of Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater. As part of The Public Theater’s long history of cultivating the country’s most celebrated artists, this program supports the creation of new works by critically-acclaimed musicians and performers.

New York Voices encourages artists to explore their storytelling, narratives and songwriting processes, and includes a variety of developmental and practical resources. Each commission culminates with a run of live shows on the Joe’s Pub stage. The program successfully connects artists with their contemporaries and significantly expands their ability to reach wider audiences. Many of the commissioned works have toured nationally and internationally. We are honored to welcome Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater and New York Voices to SHIM:NYC!

FEMINIST ART MUSEUM

The Feminist Art Museum is a digital art Museum featuring the best in intersectional art. We showcase works that embrace the nuances of all feminisms. We aim to raise awareness of societal inequities and positive ways to disrupt them through visual art.

The exhibition is called: “PROTEST & PROTECT

The site is www.feministartmuseum.com

SUSAN BERGER

These works explore the interests of women in our society and how women sacrificed and had to take the abuses that came with their way.
Direct link is: feministartmuseum.com/#9 and then follows by arrow #10 and #11

“Let it be clear that our democracy is that fragile” 30″(w) x 20″(h)

“Judy Blume – Blubber Banned Books — OnCensorship” 18″(h) x 36″(w)

“Dignity of work: UAW on Strike- Women Protesting” 36″(w) x 36″(h)

My beloved church burned down

Dec 11, 2020
By Kate Walter
As if this year could not get any worse, my house of worship burned down early Saturday morning, December 5. My friend who has the Citizen app texted, saying she hoped it was not my church. It was.

I started crying when I saw the videos of the flames roaring through the roof of Middle Collegiate Church on Second Avenue. I’ve been a member of Middle Church for 12 years.
I joined after I went through a devastating gay breakup. Attending services at Middle helped me rebuild my life and get back in touch with my spiritual side. I felt so calm in the sanctuary with its beautiful Tiffany stained-glass windows. The sanctuary was destroyed, all the windows blown out….

What always struck me about the congregation was its diversity. It is racially, ethnically, culturally and economically diverse. Someone wrote on Facebook that one time when she went to services at Middle Church, a homeless person sat to her left and a celebrity was on her right.

I think it’s fair to say there is no other congregation in New York City like Middle Collegiate Church. Its motto is “Welcoming, Artistic, Inclusive, Bold.” As a recovering Catholic, who fled a homophobic church, I felt at home and embraced.

Read the entire article published in The Village Sun HERE

Olive Ayhens YELLOWSTONE oil on linen 2020

Ahyens newest painting is featured in the UK edition of GRANTA MAGAZINE #153 entitled Second Nature.

Ayhen’s work YELLOWSTONE accompanies the article by Amy Leach entitled “Oh Latitudo”.

More info: Granta #153

To see more of Ahyen’s work : Olive Ayhen’s Artist Page

To see Ayhen’s most recent work: New and In-Progress Work

Cameras, Chaos And Cognac: How Bob Gruen Photographed The Spirit Of Rock ‘N’ Roll

December 8, 202012:24 PM ET
Heard on Fresh Air

“Photographer Bob Gruen spent decades capturing the lives and performances of rock stars of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, including John Lennon, the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner — and many more.

Gruen put in many hours backstage, in studios and on the road, sometimes doing drugs and drinking until dawn with his subjects.

“I carried a little flask of cognac in my camera case. It was part of my equipment. That’s the way it was in the ’70s,” he says. “I don’t know how I survived, because I crave peace and quiet — but I actually thrive in chaos.”

Gruen approached his subjects collaboratively, often soliciting their opinion about a photograph instead of trying to catch them off guard. He describes his work as an effort to capture the feeling and passion of music — not just the facts.

“For me, rock ‘n’ roll is all about freedom. It’s about the freedom to express your feelings very loudly in public,” he says. “I try to capture that moment of freedom, that moment when everybody’s yelling ‘Yay!’ and nobody’s thinking about paying the rent.”

-from Bob Gruen’s interview with David Davies
Transcript excerpt

For full transcript and to listen to broadcast, link to NPR Here

Bob Gruen interview