This event is the second in a series of three seminars in Arabic Type: Between Heritage and Modernity, dedicated to Arabic type design and typography, curated by typography expert Dr. Nadine Chahine for the Center for Book Arts.

The afternoon will feature:

• Tarek Atrissi, who will be discussing “Branding with Arabic Typography”
• Tala Safie will be presenting Haza al Massa (or Tonight), a documentation of the golden years of Lebanese cinema through posters, zines, press books, and film ephemera
• Bahia Shehab, who will be giving a talk entitled “From Calligraphers to Type Designers: Arabic Script in Transition.”

For more on each of the speakers, click here.

The theme of the series revolves around concepts of modernity in Arabic type design, the heritage of Arabic letterforms in the context of current technologies, contemporary Arabic branding design, and the history of Arab graphic design. The series brings together renowned and award winning designers working with Arabic type, both from the US and the Middle East.

Since 1974, The Center for Book Arts has promoted active explorations of both contemporary and traditional artistic practices related to the book as an art object. The Center seeks to facilitate communication between the book arts community and the larger spheres of contemporary visual and literary arts, while being a model organization locally, nationally, and internationally within the field. CBA achieve this through exhibitions, classes, public programming, literary presentations, opportunities for artists and writers, publications, and collecting.

Other events in the series are:

• “Technology and Heritage” on March 19

Support for​ ​The Center for Book Arts’ 2020 History of Art Series is provided, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council.