Podcast: Shadow and Light

Co-curated by Zainab and Serena with librarian Evyn Kropf,  the exhibit drew on the work of the Shadow and Light project, an initiative memorializing Iraqi academics assassinated during the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. Reaching beyond the contributed memorials, the exhibit invited deeper connection with the experiences of the targeted academics and the richness of Iraqi academic life through their written legacies and the testimonies of surviving academics, many of whom were driven into exile. 

Companion learning events co-organized in partnership with the Iraqi American Union at the University of Michigan and with contributions from current Iraqi faculty and students were offered --- "Afterlife of Occupation: Iraqi Academia and the Peripheries of Resurgence" with Noor, Dr Ali Hussain, Dr Juan Cole, and Dr Renée Ragin Randall and  "Creation and Censorship: The New Wave of Contemporary Iraqi Writers" with Dr Wijdan Alsayegh.  

A companion online exhibit, Tracing Iraqi Artists: From Shadow to Light, explores modern Iraqi struggle and resistance through contemporary visual art and connection to Iraqi artists and educators. Co-curated by Zainab and Serena, the online exhibit centers surviving Iraqi artists as they explore their national and artistic identities and respond to the cycles of violence caused by the Iran-Iraq war, sanctions, and occupation.