'Extending 5,000 miles from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, the Arab World is a combination of ancient civilizations. The dynamic change that the area currently is experiencing resonates in its contemporary art and culture. Within these countries, at the crossroads of Africa, Europe and Asia, Arab women artists have been a major force, on the cutting edge of daring, assertive self-expression. 

Drawing on the cultural resources of this vast region, the International Council for Women in the Arts (ICWA) and the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) are pleased to present the ground-breaking exhibition Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World. The exhibition, which includes 160 works by 70 artists from 15 countries, clearly demonstrates the diversity of Arab culture. The countries represented in this extensive and illuminating show are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. The exhibition also includes the work of artists of Arab origin living in the United States and Europe. The art in Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World is intended to elicit a variety of responses, from admiration to outrage, from empathy to amusement. Most of all, however, it is intended to communicate features of the world as seen through Arab eyes.' - from the front flap

Includes artists' biographies and exhibition checklist.