The Middle East Institute (MEI), based in Washington, D.C.,  launched its highly-anticipated gallery for Contemporary Middle Eastern Art on September 13.  Featuring socially engaged work by seventeen artists, from Morocco to Afghanistan, spanning video, painting, sculpture, installation and performance, the artists’ inspirations, from Sufi poetry to folk art and popular culture challenge stereotyped identities while celebrating cross-cultural influences, breaking down political, linguistic and religious borders.   In a town rich with galleries and institutes, the new gallery at MEI brings a different kind of diplomacy.   Talking about the art with old and new friends and strangers, standing shoulder to shoulder with those of all differences, attitudes, nationalities and opinions, it is empathy for the human condition that holds us together. Talking to each other, crying together, … [Read more...] about ART DRIVING SOCIAL CHANGE GLOBALLY: THE NEW MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE GALLERY