In 2024, Umm al-Fahm became the first Arab art museum in Israel. Created as a gallery in the town of the same name in 1996, Director Said Abu Shakra has developed the gallery into an important space for conversation and reflection. Now, you can join Said for a special conversation with Peggy Fogelman, Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, moderated by Israeli-American artist Caron Tabb.
The evening opens with the music of Neta Weiner, Jaffa-based performer, who elevates diverse narratives through music and dance.
Said will give us a look inside the museum and share the story of its creation. He’ll also reflect on the life of the museum following October 7.
Program begins at 6:30 followed by a dessert reception.
Said Abu Shakra
Said Abu Shakra is an artist and Director of the Umm El Fahem Gallery, the first Arab museum in Israel, a gallery inspired in 1990 and that became a museum in 2024. Said believes that culture is a tool for peace, “the only possible way out of despair." Said are his wife Siham have 5 children.
Peggy Fogelman
Peggy Fogelman is an art historian and museum professional known for her leadership in the museum field. She joined the Gardner Museum as Norma Jean Calderwood Director in 2016 and during her tenure visitor attendance has more than doubled, engaging a wide range of audiences with the Museum’s collections, exhibitions, and programs. Immediately prior to joining the Gardner, Fogelman served as Director of Collections and then Acting Director at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. Prior to this role, she held various positions at other prestigious institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Fogelman has a reputation for her expertise in art history and her innovative approach to museum management, education, and curatorial practices.
Caron Tabb
Caron Tabb is a mixed-media artist who was born in South Africa and raised in Israel where she met her husband and had two children. They moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where they lived for 15 years until moving to Boston. After many years of non-profit management while dabbling in jewelry making, studying fashion and designing interiors, Caron fell in love with painting.
Neta Weiner
Neta Weiner is a musician, actor, and director based in Jaffa. He is the founder, lead singer, and accordionist of System Ali, a multilingual Jewish-Arab Hip-Hop project. Weiner is also the artistic director of the Beit System Ali social educational movement. He has created several critically acclaimed and award-winning plays that have been produced for festivals and significant theaters worldwide. As an actor, he has appeared in several Israeli films and television shows and wrote the soundtrack for the anticipated series "Madrase". Weiner released his second solo album, "PINUI BINUI" last year, written in Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, and English. Additionally, he has been practicing martial arts for over 20 years and is a licensed teacher of Wing Tsun Kung Fu.