Joy and insights sometime come in very unexpected and mysterious ways. When we established the art gallery we knew we wanted it to be more about offering a place for social engagement and quiet reflection than being a place of commerce. The gallery has been the site of lectures, readings, receptions, parties, workshops, community meetings and a multitude of musical and theatrical performances. Nonetheless, it came as a complete surprise recently when a neighbor called to see if he could use the gallery to propose to his future bride. WOW! Who could ask for a better compliment? (More importantly, she said ‘yes’. Whew.)
Moshin Ali proposing and Khadijeh Zarafshar accepting (with painting in background)
“Why in a gallery?” I asked (future groom) Mohsin Ali on the eve of his proposal. It turned out that Mohsin had made an oil painting (entitled “The Proposal”) especially for his fiancée, Khadijeh Zarafshar. The work calls to mind both Indian miniatures and Japanese woodcuts. Mohsin and Khadijeh are depicted in the foreground, dwarfed by a lush green mountainscape and luminous magenta-lavender sky. It betrays an immense optimism amidst an uncertain larger landscape. After Khadijeh accepted the ring, all I saw was the radiating optimism. Somehow I suspect the gallery will be a bit too small for their wedding. We wish you both the best!
[Proposal of 15 Nov. '08 - Ed Barnhart]
