The Nebraska Mosaic course, offered by the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, is sponsoring an art exhibition featuring the work of three young immigrants from the Middle East.
The "New Americans Spring Art Showcase" is on display at the Lux Center for the Arts, 2601 N. 48th St., through May 31. A First Friday celebration is 5 to 7 p.m. today (May 3).
The Nebraska Mosaic course allows journalism students to focus on Lincoln's growing refugee communities. The project has included interviews with individuals from Sudan, Iraq, Bosnia, El Salvador, Congo and Burma. For more information on the project, go to http://cojmc.unl.edu/mosaic/.
The Middle Eastern artists featured in the Lux exhibition are:
> Wesaam Al-Badry, a photographer who emigrated from Iraq in 1994. Al-badry’s photographs have been featured in artland magazine and several news publications. This show features a selection of his 2011 series, “Portraits of Iraqi War Women.”
> Faris Pirali, who emigrated from Iraq in 2011, is exhibiting paintings and original drawings. This is the first group of paintings he has produced since he has been in the United States. His artwork is an expression of what it was like to live under an authoritarian government.
> Elham Taheri, a photographer who emigrated from Iran in 2004. She graduated from Lincoln East High School and now attends Bellevue University. Her featured photographs are from a recent visit back to Iran.
A community reception for the exhibition is 5 to 7 p.m. May 10. The 2013 Mosaic college scholarship will be presented during the reception.
Funding for Nebraska Mosaic comes in part from grants from the Lincoln Community Foundation and the Knight Community Information Challenge.