New York Arab Festival
Performance Studies Ph.D. candidate Adham Hafez is the founding curator of the inaugural New York Arab Festival, taking place in April 2022.
New York Arab Festival (NYAF) is founded by Arab, American, and Arab American artists in New York, addressing issues such as cultural erasure, urban equity, and artistic justice. It presents Arab and Arab American artists from diverse backgrounds, including Saudi, Libyan, Moroccan, Jewish, Muslim, African and Asian, presenting works in performance, fashion, visual arts and music. NYAF mobilizes in-person and online events, and showcases artworks ranging from in-situ public works to NFTs. The inaugural edition will take place in April 2022.
In a historic move, the Biden Administration has formally declared April to be National Arab American Heritage Month. The curators and creators of NYAF took part in several of the dialogues leading to this momentous event, and the festival is a celebration and recognition of Arabs' artistic and cultural contributions to American heritage and society.