INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ARTIST AHMED ALSOUDANI TO SPEAK AT THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART

Portland, Maine - On Wednesday, November 6, 2013, the Nelson Social Justice Fund at the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) will present a conversation with internationally renowned artist Ahmed Alsoudani along with PMA Director Mark Bessire. This free program, Ahmed Alsoudani in Conversation with Mark Bessire, will begin at 6 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. at the PMA. Reservations are encouraged as seating is limited, visit

Join artist Ahmed Alsoudani and PMA Director Mark Bessire in a discussion about the artist’s work, his childhood in Iraq, and his experience as an artist in Portland and New York. Alsoudani and Bessire met in Portland when Ahmed was a student at Maine College of Art (MECA). Alsoudani’s work first garnered respect and attention during his time at MECA; following that, he attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and later earned an M.F.A. at Yale School of Art. Bessire and Alsoudani have remained friends throughout Alsoudani’s career, and during this evening the two will discuss Alsoudani’s contributions to 21st-century art.

Alsoudani’s work is on view at the Portland Museum of Art through December 8 in the exhibition Ahmed Alsoudani: Redacted.

Ahmed Alsoudani in Conversation with Mark Bessire is made possible by the Leonard and Merle Nelson Social Justice Fund at the Portland Museum of Art.

(Image credit: Mark Bessire and Ahmed Alsoudani in the exhibition Redacted at the Portland Museum of Art, 2013)

MUSEUM INFORMATION

The Portland Museum of Art (PMA), Maine’s premier art museum, showcases fine and decorative arts from the 18th century to the present. From Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth to Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet, the PMA features three centuries of art and architecture. The museum is located at Seven Congress Square in downtown Portland. Hours are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. Memorial Day through Columbus Day, the PMA is open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students with I.D., $6 for youth ages 13 to 17, and children 12 and under are free. Special exhibition fees may apply. Admission is free on Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. No admission is required to visit the PMA Café and Store. Winslow Homer Studio tours are available by reservation. For more information, call (207) 775-6148 or visit portlandmuseum.org.