March Madness

March Madness! I have been experiencing a real rush lately that comes when one is jam packed with exciting outings, events and experiences. This has been the case this March! The cold weather has gone, however the stifling humid high temperatures have yet to arrive. That is why I believe I have been taking advantage of my free time, getting up, out and about in Dubai and just simply enjoying life!

First, there was Art Bus. I have lived in Dubai since August, and Art Bus was a great way to be surrounded by art lovers, bohemians, teachers, photographers and other art loving folks. I knew they were around, somplace in Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi, I had yet to come across many artists loving types until Art Bus. Art Bus is put on by www.artinthecity.com, the U.A.E.'s best website for posting all art events and exhibits in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. We got on a bus at the Madinat Jumeirah at 10 am and the tour ended at 4:30pm. The tour commenced and we were whizzed around from one gallery to the next in the Al Quoz (Industrial area). We stopped for lunch at the More Cafe, but mostly it was a non-stop gallery fest. The Art Bus tour also opened my eyes to a beautiful artist shared-space nestled amongst the huge villas and the trees of Nad Al Sheba called Tashkeel, an artist dream shared work space where one can pay to use their facilities and great equipment tools for photography, printing, painting, and the likes. Even sitting outside in the garden is probably worth their fees. Right outside of Dubai's hundreds of cranes, and skyscrapers erecting in the sky is Nad Al Sheba, this gorgeous neighborhood and Tashkeel, this artist escape. I had no idea! The day was spent with friendly company, great conversations and of course some amazing art from Iranian-Saudi Arabian-local Emirati artists (there was one American artist too). It was well worth my Friday off of work!

Second, I picked up a flyer while on the Art Bus for an Artist Talk about graffiti which I attended last Monday. The UK artist collaborated with Tashkeel artists and other students to tag/paint three huge walls outside of the Tashkeel building in the garden area. His talk began by describing the history of graffiti and continued onto his work. His name is Mohammed Ali and he was inspiring. His love of Islam and his talent for painting/graffiti art finally came together one day and he has been working at it ever since. He has painted walls all around the world including one of the most interesting, a wall in Brooklyn dedicated to an African Muslim family, two adults and six children, who were killed when their apartment caught fire. I really loved his work and his message of brotherhood, and peace, words which he feels are not incorporated into the minds of our youth today. He said that he always manages to incorporate locals into his projects so that they feel a sense of ownership. The evening was brilliant and I was taken back into the trees and into Tashkeel's garden. What an evening!

Last, I spent last Thursday evening in the desert right outside of Al Ain. The desert was absolutely gorgeous. Once the sun goes down, it is actually cool in the desert. My friend Lynda and I arrived to witness, just on the road into the desert, baby camels nursing from their mothers. Cute! Then, we spent the evening with friends, barbecuing, laughing, and talking about the pros and cons of living in the U.A.E. To be honest, I had no desire to return to the light pollution and waking up to construction. I would have camped out in the desert but forgot my sleeping bag, and needed a nice shower. That my friends, is a miracle. Before I moved to Dubai, you would have never heard me say "camping" in the past. This word had been ejected from my vocabulary list. Regardless, I plan on returning into the desert for some dune bashing and peaceful surroundings sometime in the near future before the humidity and stifling temperatures return!