Muslim/American, American/Muslim: Portrait of a Brooklyn Masjid

The exhibition features black and white photographs depicting the lives of Muslim Americans. “Muslim/American, American/Muslim: Portrait of a Brooklyn Masjid” was an opportunity for Gerhardt to focus on the cultural misunderstandings of which Muslim Americans are faced with daily.

Gerhardt’s interest in a reportage surrounding this particular group of people grew out of a controversy over converting an unused convent on Staten Island in New York into a mosque and community center. As American citizens simply looking for a place to practice their religion of choice, they have often been greeted with protests, discrimination and even violence.

He states, “My goal for this project, then, is to try to understand and document the intersection between ‘Muslim’ and ‘American’, since the latter part of this community’s identity is often forgotten I began photographing for this project on the first night of Ramadan in 2010, and I continue to make photographs through the present day.”

Gerhardt also hopes that his series brings a curiosity of a culture; to create a dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims in America that attempts to erase the boundaries that engender a sense of “them” and begin to foster a sense of “us.”

On Exhibit
August 31 - October 28, 2011

Location
The exhibition is on display at the St. John’s University’s Manhattan campus Mezzanine Gallery.

Curated by Claudia Sbrissa

In Conjunction With
Making Meaning of 9/11: Local Impacts, Global Implications

This exhibition is free of charge and accessible to the handicapped.

For information and directions call (718) 990-7476.