The best companions are books alone
by Marilyn MacGregor
This collection supports and promotes awareness to the important mission and framework of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition's focus on the lasting power of the written word and the arts in support of the free expression of ideas, the preservation of shared cultural spaces, and the importance of responding to attacks, both overt and subtle, on artists, writers, and academics working under oppressive regimes or in zones of conflict, despite the destruction of that literary/cultural content.
"I am an artist, art historian, teacher, and writer who has lived and worked on both coasts and in Europe. A lifelong love of drawing is the basis for my art, including works on paper and handmade artist books. My love and deep knowledge of history and art provide inspiration and subject matter, and in my work you can find the two sides of my nature - a witty, lighthearted sense of play balanced by a serious examination of the possibilities of meaning in art. I find line and color are inspirations in themselves, as are the feel of a pen in my hand and the possibilities of a clean sheet of paper. I exhibit my work in galleries, juried shows, and online, I write about art, culture, and travel for local and national publications and on my award-winning blog, ArtSmartTalk, and I teach art history and the history of children's literature at Drexel University's Pennoni Honors College. I offer talks to small and large groups about a wide range of art and art history themes that encompass the traditions and styles of art of many different cultures and time periods. My emphasis in teaching is on the ways that art unites us as humans - the enthusiastic responses of my audiences assure me that the talks are both entertaining and informative"--The artist's website (viewed July 2, 2015).
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"In tribute to the poetry of Al Mutanabbi and the people of Iraq."
"Al-Mutanabbi Iraq 915-965."
"My book pays tribute to people and a country I've never seen, except, in recent times, through news reports and images that are too often violent and disturbing. As an art historian, I am well aware of Iraq's rich artistic and intellectual heritage of long-standing significance, and I know that these troubled times must be unbearably painful for many Iraqis. It is for them I especially dedicate this book. 'The best companions' is not focused on war, though it is impossible not to have that idea hovering nearby. I purposely chose images from daily life - a sketch of Al-Mutanabbi Street before the blast, a mosque, women on the street, men in a cafe - and an American soldier - because that has also been, for too long, part of daily life there. The final image is from a 12th century illustration of a court where Al-Mutanabbi might have served as poet. I was struck by the image of tragic, beautiful Arabic text and illustration showering down, turned to confetti by the 2007 bomb, so I've made that important. The cover text and text across the images are English translations of Al-Mutanabbi poems, and the title is a quote. His beautiful language is chillingly prescient about harm and violence; he also lived in a dangerous, precarious time. The accordion folded sheets are intended to open much like a shop lifting its awning. My original drawings were larger, but I reduced the size when I printed them in order to make a small, but meaningful, object that can be hidden quickly and kept safe"--The Book Arts at the Centre for Fine Print Research, UK website.
On March 5th, 2007, a car bomb exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. Al-Mutanabbi Street is located in a mixed Shia-Sunni area. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. Al-Mutanabbi Street, the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, holds bookstores and outdoor bookstalls, cafes, stationery shops, and even tea and tobacco shops. It has been the longstanding heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community for centuries. In response to the attack, a San Francisco poet and bookseller, Beau Beausoleil, rallied a community of international artists and writers to produce a collection of letterpress-printed broadsides (poster-like works on paper), artists' books (unique works of art in book form), and an anthology of writing, all focused on expressing solidarity with Iraqi booksellers, writers and readers. The coalition of contributing artists calls itself Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here Coalition.
Gift; Beau Beausoleil; 2019-2020.
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