Jean-Pierre Taoutel, senior lecturer at the University of Iowa, and Jane El-Qass, Drake University Language Acquisition Program language partner, will give a presentation on Arabic calligraphy Thursday, Sept. 25. The event is part of Drake University’s “Book Arts: Dialogues and Languages” series.
The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1 p.m. in room 201 of Cowles Library, 2725 University Ave.
Taoutel will give a lecture on Arabic calligraphy, art and history and El-Qass will conduct a workshop. They will teach basic Arabic calligraphy including the alphabet, numbers and days of the week.
“Arabic calligraphy is a primary form of art for visual expression and creativity,” Taoutel said. “It also is a historical symbol representing unity, beauty, power and has achieved a high level of sophistication as a result of its historical development.”
The “Book Arts: Dialogues and Languages” series is sponsored by the Drake University Language Acquisition Program, Drake Center for Humanities, Cowles Library, University of the West of England in Bristol, UK: School of Creative Arts and Department of Art and Design.
The series includes workshops and demonstrations on the topics of printing, bookmaking, and writing, giving special attention to works written in languages with non-Latin alphabets.
The series will conclude on Tuesday, Sept. 30, with a presentation on Japanese and Chinese calligraphy by Miwa Okamoto, Azusa Kanou and Qi Shi. The event will take place from 1-3 p.m. in room 201 of Cowles Library.