The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts > Exhibitions

World Music in Focus: An Exhibition Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of World Music Institute

From September 10, 2004 through January 15, 2005
Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498 (directions)

Image Sheet

In this multi-media exhibition, The World Music Institute (WMI) and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts have collaborated to showcase WMI's 20-year history as this nation's leading presenter of traditional music and dance from around the world. Featured will be the images of Jack Vartoogian, Linda Vartoogian, and Ira Landgarten, three prominent photographers who have documented WMI concerts for many years. The exhibit will also introduce new audiences to a wide range of music from many cultures and regions through concert videos from the WMI archive; traditional instruments from around the world, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Newark Museum; and interactive kiosks with music samples.

The photographs document performances spanning the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, South and East Asia, and Africa with sections on Sacred Music, Cultural Crossroads, and Music Without Borders. Included are photos of legendary artists, as well as musicians and dancers from villages around the world. The extensive list of featured artists includes Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Hamza El Din, the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey, Taraf de Haidouks, Farruquito, Marion Williams, Cecil Taylor, and Johnny Cunningham.