SHORT BIOGRAPHY: John Halaka's artwork serves as a visual meditation on experiences of instability that have been shaped by interconnected personal, cultural and political conditions. His pictorial investigations are informed by indigenous survival, creative resistance and cultural persistence in the face of settler-colonial repression. Halaka's visual narratives echo perpetually dueling states of insecurity and defiance that result from the asymmetrical relationships between the oppressed and their oppressors. John Halaka describes his engagement with his creative work in the following way: "As a visual artist working in the fields of drawing, painting, photography and oral history, I have long been committed to developing an art practice that adheres to the philosophy of "the artist as public servant." My artwork is produced as a result of an extended personal engagement with marginalized communities and is designed to provide an arena, for both the participants and the viewers, to meditate on survival and resistance as conditions that shape the life experiences of displaced populations. Two of my ongoing art projects engage Palestinian refugees, as well as Palestinian farmers, in a process of speaking of their personal and cultural histories of displacement, survival and resistance. The personal narratives, cultural tales, memories, struggles and aspirations of the individuals that I interview, directly inform the images that I create. Those images offer viewers a poetic visual space to reflect on our relationships to questions of exile, as well as our responsibilities to the persistent struggles of indigenous populations, against cultural and historical erasures. One of the objectives of my creative practice is to help place the personal and collective realities of political displacement experienced by Palestinians, in the international discourse on human rights, forced migration and the right of return of all indigenous communities. When looking at my art or watching my documentaries, I envision that as viewers reflect on and learn from the personal narratives of a few Palestinians living in exile or under occupation, they will gain greater insights into our moral responsibilities to all refugees and occupied populations." John is currently developing a large series of drawings, titled Landscapes of Resistance, on maps of the United States and Palestine. The drawings honor histories of cultural survival and creative resistance against colonial repression by Native Americans, African Americans, Palestinians and migrant workers. John Halaka's artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions. He is the recent recipient of a Palestinian American Research Center Fellowship, that supported the first phase of his work in the West Bank, on a project titled Vanishing Harvest: Meditations on the End of Palestinian Agriculture. He also received a Fulbright Fellowship to record the stories of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon. John Halaka is a Professor of Visual Arts at the University of San Diego, where he has taught since 1991. He received his MFA in the Visual Arts from the University of Houston in 1983, and his B.A. in Fine Arts from the City University of New York Baccalaureate Program, with Brooklyn College as home school. To view a broad selection of John Halaka's artwork, please visit his websites: He can be contacted at the following address: OCCUPATION: Visual Artist working in the fields of Painting, Drawing, Photography, Oral History and Documentary Filmmaking EDUCATION: 1983 | M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing, University of Houston, Houston, Texas SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS OF PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS: 2019 | PHOTO-MURAL INSTALLED IN THE SILWAN NEIGHBORHOOD OF EAST JERUSALEM 2018 | FACES FROM ERASED PLACES 2018 | FACES FROM ERASED PLACES 2017 | GHOSTS OF PRESENCE / BODIES OF ABSENCE 2016 | PORTRAITS OF DENIAL & DESIRE. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN HALAKA 2015 | PORTRAITS OF DENIAL & DESIRE. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN HALAKA 2015 | FORGOTTEN SURVIVORS: DRAWING PROJECTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN HALAKA 2014 | PORTRAITS OF DENIAL & DESIRE. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN HALAKA 2013 | LANDSCAPES OF DESIRE 2011 | LANDSCAPES OF DESIRE 2000 | WHISPERS & ECHOES: RECENT PAINTINGS BY JOHN HALAKA
2021 | CONVERGING LINE: TRACING THE ARTISTIC LINEAGE OF THE ARAB DIASPORA IN THE U.S.
The Middle East Institute. Washington D.C.
2020 | ART IS NOT OPTIONAL
Gallery Al Quds. Washington, D.C.
2019-2018 | THE FAR SHORE: NAVIGATING HOMELANDS
The Arab-American National Museum. Dearborn, Michigan.
2017 | MAKTOUB � POSTCARDS FOR JERUSALEM 2015 | WAR AND PEOPLE 2014 | AND WE HAVE COUNTRY 2014 | COURAGEOUS VOICES 2014 | DEMOCRACY NOW: POSSIBILITIES AND IMPOSSIBILITIES 2013 | THE MAP IS NOT THE TERRIRTORY 2013 | NOCTURNES 2013 | DIWAN 5 GROUP EXHIBITION 2013 | GROUP EXHIBITION 2013 | SPEAK YOUR PEACE 2012 | GROUP EXHIBITION 2011 | BREACHING THE WALL 2010 | AN IDEA CALLED TOMORROW 2007 | PIECE PROCESS IV: AFTER LEBANON 2002 | THIRD ANNUAL DRAWING EXHIBITION 2001 | VISUAL ARTS FACULTY EXHIBITION 2000 | VISUAL ARTS FACULTY EXHIBITION 1999 | VISUAL ARTS FACULTY EXHIBITION 1998 | VISUAL ARTS FACULTY EXHIBITION 1997 | VISUAL ARTS FACULTY EXHIBITION 1996 | BEYOND THE LINE: DRAWINGS BY JOHN HALAKA, NILLY GILL, & CHRIS LEE 1996 | GROUP SHOW 1996 | SOMETHING OLD/SOMETHING NEW: VISUAL ARTS FACULTY EXHIBITION 1995 | DRAWING FROM STRENGTH: TWENTY-SIX ARTISTS MAKE THEIR MARK 1995 | FACULTY EXHIBITION 1994 | THE WILLIAM A. GRAHAM COLLECTION 1994 | FACULTY EXHIBITION 1994 | CITY, ROOM, GARDEN 1993 | CITY, ROOM, GARDEN 1993 | FACULTY EXHIBITION 1992 | FACULTY EXHIBITION 1991 | THE WAR SHOW: HOUSTON VOICES 1990 | ORDINARY OBJECT AS EXTRAORDINARY SUBJECT 1990 | FACULTY EXHIBITION 1990 | ART 1990 1989 | ELEVEN ARTISTS FROM THE SUMMER/WHITE STUDIOS 1988 | FIVE HOUSTON ARTISTS 1988 | HOUSTON 88 1988 | HOUSE PAINTINGS 1988 | TEXAS ART CELEBRATION 88 1988 | EAST END SHOW 1987 | EIGHT FROM HOUSTON 1987 | INVITATIONAL SHOW 1987 | GROUP SHOW OF GALLERY ARTISTS 1987 | GROUP SHOW 1987 | EAST END SHOW 1986 | TEXAS ANNUAL 1986 1985 | THEN & NOW, 50 YEARS OF UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ART 1984 | COMPETITION 84 1984 | EAST END SHOW 1984 | JOHN HALAKA & DONALD LeBLANC: PAINTINGS 1983 | AMARILLO COMPETITION 1983 | FIVE EMERGING ARTISTS 1983 | ELEVEN IN A ROW 1983 | THE UNTITLED SHOW 1983 | M.F.A. EXHIBITION 1983 1982 | SIX FROM HOUSTON 1981 | FACULTY EXHIBITION DOCUMENTARY FILMS [COMPLETED]: WOUNDS OF THE HEART: AN ARTIST AND HER NATION Born and raised in the village of Tarsheha in the Galilee, Rana Bishara is a Palestinian visual artist whose practice includes sculpture, installation and performance art. As a Palestinian citizen of Israel, she has directly experienced the feelings of belonging and claims of ownership that irrevocably separate, yet permanently connect Arabs and Jews in their struggle for a land that is called Palestine by one group and Israel by the other. Rana’s artwork functions simultaneously as an elegy to the Palestinian Nakba (the Great Disaster that began in 1948), an unmasking of the brutality of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and a critique of the biased Western media’s depiction of the Palestinians’ struggle against their occupiers. The objects employed in Rana’s artwork perform as surrogates for the body and spirit of Palestine and its people. Her work, in both its physical and conceptual manifestations is an expression of the inseparable blending of the personal and political experiences that define the identity of every Palestinian. THE PRESENCE OF ABSENCE IN THE RUINS OF KAFR BIR’IM Shot on location in the ruins and cemetery of Kafr Bir’im, a Palestinian village located in the Northern Galilee, the film introduces the viewer to Mr. Ibrahim Essa, an elderly poet who survived the ethnic cleansing of his village in 1948. Through his narrative and poetry, Ibrahim Essa recounts his experiences as a youth in the village, the hardships of a life in exile and the intense emotional, physical and historical connections to the land that he shares with the 5,000,000 Palestinians who currently live in the Palestinian diaspora. Mr. Essa employs an ancient oral tradition of poetry that, in style, is similar to what is now referred to as “Spoken Word Poetry.” This improvisational oral tradition has been around for centuries in Northern Palestine and continues to be used by farmers and villagers to express the community’s intimate relationship to the land; a yearning for past times; and their cultural, psychological and physical attachment to the ancient and modern ruins that exist throughout that region. DOCUMENTARY FILMS [IN PROGRESS]: PORTRAITS OF DESIRE & DENIAL A POET'S EYE: THE PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK OF RULA HALAWANI DESIRE AND RESISTANCE IN CONTEMPORARY PALESTINIAN ART THE AESTHETICS OF RESISTANCE IN PALESTINIAN FOLKLORIC DANCE ORAL HISTORY VIDEO ARCHIVES:
VANISHING HARVEST: MEDITATIONS ON THE END OF ALESTINIAN AGRICULTURE (In Progress.) ARCHIVE OF INTERVIEWS I CONDUCTED WITH PALESTINIAN ARTISTS TEACHING EXPERIENCE: 2019 | Guest Lecturer. Birzeit University. Birzeit Palestine. 2015 & 2017 | Visiting Artist. Palestine International Art Academy. Ramallah, Palestine. 2017 | Visiting Artist. Dar al Kalima College of Arts & Culture. Bethlehem, Palestine. 2011-2012 | Affiliate Scholar. American University of Beirut. Department of Architecture & Design 2007-2008 | University of San Diego University Professor. Highest teachin/research award bestowed annually 1994-1997 | Coordinator of Visual Arts Program, University of San Diego 1990-1991 | The Glassell School of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; Instructor, Department of Painting & Drawing 1983-1991 | The School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston, Texas; Instructor, Department of Visual Arts Nov 1990 | East Texas State University, Commerce, Texas; Visiting Artist, Department of Art 1988-1990 | North Harris County College, East Campus; Instructor, Department of Visual Arts 1986-1990 | The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Department of Art History and Education; Coordinator of workshops for "Evening for Educators" program. 1986-1990 | The University of Houston, Department of Fine Arts; Teaching Fellow PUBLIC LECTURES AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS: Sept. 2021 | “"Vanishing Harvest: Meditations on the Death and Rebirth of Palestinian Agriculture."
University of San Diego, Humanities Center. April 2021 | “"Faces from Erased Places." Palestine Solidarity Conference organized by a consortium of Seattle Area Universities. March 2021 | “"Memory of Memories." University of Nevada, Reno, Visual Arts MFA Program. June 2020 | “"Artist Talk." Palestine Museum U.S. March 2020 | “"Memory of Memories: The Narratives of Palestinian Refugees in the Global Discourse on Displacement." Mississippi State University. Lecture and workshops focusing on my work with Palestinian Refugees. Hosted by the International Institute and the Department of Art as part of The Global Engagement Lecture Series on Displaced Persons.
February 2020 | “Discussant to a lecture titled Terra Inferma: Palestinian Art and the World. Presented by Dr. Jeffery Sacks. University of San Diego, Humanities Center. October 2019 | “"On Presence and Absence." Lecture focusing on my recent drawings. Birzeit University. Birzeit Palestine. April 2019 | “"Vanishing Harvest." Lecture about my project with Palestinian Farmers. Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center. Ramallah, Palestine. May 2018 | “"Faces from Erased Places." Lecture in conjunction with my exhibition at Al-Hoash Gallery. East-Jerusalem. Palestine. May 2017 | “The Presence of Absence.” University of California, Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California. March 2017 | “Ghosts of Presence / Bodies of Absence.” Artist’s talk in conjunction with my exhibition at GalleryOne, Ramallah, Palestine. March 2017 | “Meditations on Suvivance.” Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts & Culture. Bethlehem, Palestine. Oct 2016 | “Palestinian Narratives of Survival and Resistance.” Panel Presentation. The Oral History Association’s Annual Conference. Long Beach, California. May 2016 | “Memory As Resistance.” Lecture presented at the conference “ Art and Resistance." Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts & Culture. Bethlehem, Palestine. April 2016 | “The Iron Wall and the Trail of Tears.” Presentation at the symposium "Catholic Diplomacy and Peacemaking at a Time of Endless War.” University of San Diego. Jan 2016 | Public Lecture about my current Artwork. Palestine International Art Academy. Ramallah, Palestine. Dec 2015 | Public Lecture about my current Artwork. An Najah University. College of Visual and Performing Arts. Nablus, Palestine. Jan 2015 | “Standing with Disposable People.” Public Lecture in Conjunction with my Exhibition “Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Rice University. Houston, Texas. Dec 2014 | “Forgotten Survivors.” Lecture to the Bridge Program at Antioch University. Los Angeles, California. Dec 2014 | “Disposable People.” Lecture to Art and Art History students at El Camino College. Los Angeles, California. Oct 2014 | “Memory as Resistance: Narratives of Palestinian Survivance.” Conference lecture at the Peace & Justice Studies Association’s Annual Conference. San Diego, California. Oct 2014 | “Forgotten Survivors.” Public Lecture in Conjunction with my Exhibition “Portraits of Denial & Desire.” University of San Diego. San Diego, California. July 2014 | “Disposable People.” Public Lecture at the Conference “Statelessness and Transcontinental Migration.” United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Migration. Barcelona, Spain. May 2014 | “Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Keynote lecture at the University of Chicago’s Palestine Awareness Week. April 2014 | ”The Artist As Public Servant.” Public Lecture in conjunction with my solo exhibition “Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Gallery Al Quds. Washington, D.C. March 2014 | “Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Public Lecture at Al-Awda Center, Miami, Florida. Feb 2014 | “Survivance: Narratives of Palestinian Refugees.” Conference lecture at the College Arts Association Annual Conference, Chicago Illinois. Dec 2013 | “Forgotten Survivors.” Public Lecture at the Al-Awda National Center. Carlsbad, California. Nov 2013 | “Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Public Lecture at Ventura County Al-Awda Center. Moorhead, California. Nov 2013 | “The Art of Resistance.” Keynote lecture at UCLA’s Palestine Awareness Week. University of Californian, Los Angeles. Nov 2013 | ”Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Public Lecture. The Palestine Center, Jerusalem Fund Gallery. Washington, D.C. Oct 2013 | ”The Artist As Public Servant.” Public Lecture in conjunction with my solo exhibition Landscapes of Desire. The Arab American National Museum. Dearborn, Michigan. Sept 2013 | “Memory as Resistance.” Keynote lecture at the Al-Awda national Conference. Cleveland, Ohio April 2013 | “Portraits of Desire & Denial” Public Lecture at the Al-Awda Center. San Diego, CA. March 2013 | “Portraits of Desire & Denial” Lecture at DIWAN 5 Conference. Presented at the Arab-American National Museum. Dearborn Michigan. June 2012 | “Portraits of Desire & Denial”. Keynote lecture at the conference Displacement, Resistance and Representation: Culture and Power in Contexts of Migrancy. Queen Mary University of London. London, U.K. June 2012 | “Visualizing the Presence of Absence in the Palestinian Experience of Exile”. Lecture at the conference Displacement, Resistance and Representation: Culture and Power in Contexts of Migrancy. Queen Mary University of London. London, U.K. April 2012 | �Portraits of Desire & Denial�. Public Lecture at the Ba�akleen National Library, Ba�akleen, Lebanon. March 2012 | �Forgotten Survivors: Reflection on Palestinian Landscapes of Desire & Denial�. Public Lecture at the Birzeit Museum. Birzeit University. Birzeit, Palestine. Jan. 2012 | �Forgotten Survivors: Reflection on Palestinian Landscapes of Desire & Denial�. Public Lecture at American University of Beirut. Beirut, Lebanon. May 2011 | Presented a lecture about my drawings, paintings, documentary films and video archives at the Mosaic Rooms Gallery. London, U.K. The lecture was in conjunction with my exhibition “Landscapes of Desire”. March 2011 | “Artists Intervene in the Realities of War”. Presentation on panel discussion as part of DIWAN 2011. Conference organized by Arab-American National Museum and presented at the City University of New York graduate Center. Oct 2010 | Discussion of my drawings from the series “Landscapes of Desire” at the University of San Diego. The lecture was presented in conjunction with my exhibition at USD. Jan 2010 | Discussion of my drawings from the series “Landscapes of Desire” at the California African-American Museum. Sept 2009 | Screening and discussion of my film “Wounds of the Heart: An Artist and Her Nation.” Part of the conference July 2009 | Screening and discussion of my film “Wounds of the Heart: An Artist and Her Nation.” Al Hoash Gallery for April 2009 | “Post-Colonialism in Palestine & Post-Zionism in Israel”. Presentation at the conference April 2009 | Presentation at the Jerusalem Fund Gallery. Discussion of with curator Robyn Smith regarding my work. Jan 2009 | "Walls of Desire and Denial in Israel/Palestine & U.S./Mexico” Presentation as part of a panel discussion held in conjunction with the exhibit “Deportation Nation.” Centro Cultural De La Raza. San Diego. Oct 2008 | “From Childhood Through Martyrdom. Reflections on life and Death in Palestine.” Presented at Professor Bahar Davary’s “Comparative Ethics” class for the Peace and Justice Masters Program. University of San Diego. Oct 2008 | Screening and discussion of my film “The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im.” July 2008 | Participated in a panel discussion organized in conjunction with the exhibition “Enacting Emancipation.” May 2008 | “The Artist as Witness.” Presentation as part of an artist panel in conjunction with the exhibition“60 YEARS”. April 2008 | “The Role of the Artist in Politically Stressed Communities.” Presentation to students and faculty at the Otis College of Art. April 2008 | “The Artist as Public Servant. ”Presentation at the 10th Continuums of Service Conference. Portland Oregon April 2008 | Screening and discussion of my film “The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im.” Alwan for the Arts. April 2008 | Screening and discussion of my film “The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im.” Ethical Culture April 2008 | “Guerilla Filmmaking”. Screening of my film “The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im” and discussion Feb 2008 | Screening and discussion of my film “The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im.” Al-Awda: Palestinian Right of Return Center. Carlsbad, CA May 2007 | “Creative Strategies of Resistance.” Lecture presented at the “Al-Awda, Palestinian Right of Return” April 2007 | Presented two lectures at a conference entitled “DIWAN” held at the ArabAmerican National Museum. The first paper was titled “Outsiders on the Inside” and the second paper was “From Dialogue to Action.” July 2006 | Developed and presented a weeklong drawing workshop on Mapping and Identity to Palestinian artists. Al-Hoash Gallery of Palestinian Art. Jerusalem. July 2006 | Presented a lecture entitled ‘Desire and Resistance” in which I discussed the evolution of my creative work. Al-Hoash Gallery of Palestinian Art. Jerusalem. March 2006 | Participated in a Panel Discussion organized in conjunction with the exhibit “Made In Palestine.” Dec 2005 | California Institute for the Arts. Lecture on my work and the murals I worked on in Palestine during the Sept 2005 | Public Talk given at Gavilan College in conjunction with the exhibit “Piece Process 3”. Aug 2005 | Public Talk at the Alternative Information Center, discussing the murals painted in Gaza. Jerusalem, Palestine. Aug 2005 | Lecture about the evolution of my artwork presented at the Union of Palestinian Artists’ Gallery. Ramallah, Palestine. May 2005 | Lecture given at the symposium “Exploring New Forms and Meanings: The Intersection of Audience, Ideas and Art.” The symposium was organized in conjunction with the exhibit “In / Visible: Contemporary Art by Arab American Artists.” Arab American national Museum. Dearborn, Michigan. April 2005 | Lecture given at the University of San Francisco in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit “Made In Palestine” at SOMARTS. San Francisco, California. April 2005 | Public talk given to the “Future Leaders of America Rockefeller Fellows” in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit “Made in Palestine.” Sept 2002 | Lecture given at the Taylor Library Gallery in conjunction with my exhibit “Relics: Meditations on Decay and Renewal.” Oct 2001 | Lecture given to the Nevada City Artists and Writers Association. Grass Valley, California. Nov 2000 | Lecture Given at Founders Gallery in conjunction with my exhibit “Whispers & Echoes.” University of San Diego, San Diego, California. CONFERENCES, PANELS AND WORKSHOPS I ORGANIZED: Oct 2013 | “Hope & Conflict in Syria, Egypt and Iran.” A panel discussion I organized. University of San Diego. April 1994 | "Living with Dignity/Dying with Dignity: Gays and Lesbians in San Diego Speak About their Community." A panel discussion I organized and chaired. Sept-Nov 1993 | "The Hopes and Fears of Palestinians and Israelis." March 1993 | "Critical Problems/Creative Solutions: Preserving the Human and Natural Environment." A multi-disciplinary conference I co-organized. The conference consisted of lectures, panel discussions, musical performance and an interactive art installation. The events explored the environmental crisis from various perspectives. March 1993 | "Art and Ecology / Art as Ecology." A panel discussion I organized and chaired. Mar-May 1991 | "The War Show: Houston Voices." A multi-disciplinary conference I co-organized. The conference featured BOOK CHAPTERS, ESSAYS AND ARTICLES: May 2018 Faces from Erased Places. Exhibition Catalogue. Published by Al-Hoash Gallery. Text by John Halaka. Edited by Manar Idriss. 2018. June 2017 | Images from the series Portraits of Denial & Desire are reproduced in the book: Understanding Statelessness. Edited by Tendayi Bloom and Philip Cole Tonkis. Routlidge, U.K. 2017. July 2016 | “From Home to Homeland. Reflections on New Paintings by Rafat Asad.” Jadaliyya on-line Journal. April 2016 | “From Home to Homeland. Reflections on New Paintings by Rafat Asad.” Catalogue essay. Gallery One Publications. March 2016 | “Meditations from the Shadows of History: The Paintings of Bashar Khalaf.” Jadaliyya on-line Journal. Feb 2016 | “Meditations from the Shadows of History: The Paintings of Bashar Khalaf.” Catalogue essay. Gallery One Publications. Feb 2016 | “Shadow of the Shadow.” Article on the paintings of Bashar Khalaf. This Week In Palestine. Feb. 2016. Jan 2016 | “Inside as an Outsider.” Essay for the book Being Palestinian: Personal Reflections on Palestinian
Identity in the Diaspora. Edited by Prof. Yasir Suleiman. Edinburgh University Press. July 2015 | “Sketches from the Margins of Marginalized Communities: Lessons in Survival, Resilience and July 2015 | “Journeys of Survivance.” Chapter for the book The Map is Not the Territory: Parallel Paths- March 2013 | “Ghosts of Comfort & Chaos.” John Halaka. Jadaliyya on-line Journal. Fall 2008 | “Outsiders on the Inside.” John Halaka. Published in the Australian journal Nebula, in an issue devoted to the Palestinian / Israeli conflict. May 1991 | “Haunting Images of War Linger: The War Show: Houston Voices, Shares Visions of Horror.” John Halaka. Union of Independent Artists Newsletter. Vol.1 #9. May 1991, cover, p. 1, 5. July 1991 | “Reflections on The War Show: Houston Voices and Read My Mind.” John Halaka. GRANTS AND AWARDS: 2019 | International Engagement Award. Awarded by the University of San Diego's International Center, in recognition of my teaching, research and community engagement projects abroad. 2019 | Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) US Scholar Fellow. Awarded a PARC US Scholar Fellowship to develop the first phase of the project Vanishing Harvest: Meditations on the End of Palestinian Agriculture. 2011-2012 | Awarded a Fulbright Research Fellowship to develop film and drawing projects in Lebanon. The projects explored the personal memories and experiences of Palestinian refugees exiled in Lebanon. 2007-2008 | Awarded a University of San Diego project based University Professorship. 2007-2009 | University of San Diego Internationalization of the Curriculum Travel grants 2020-2013 | University of San Diego Faculty Research Grants 1993 | California Council for the Humanities, and the Price Family Fund. Awarded to organize a multi-disciplinary symposium titled "The Hopes and Fears of Palestinians and Israelis." 1992 | Irvine Foundation, Faculty and Curriculum Development Grant. Awarded to carry out a video 1990 & 91 | National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts Teacher of "Arts 90" award 1986 | Dallas Museum Artist Grant 1977 | Jane Guggenheim Winslow Fellowship
Melisa Chimera. The Far Shore: Navigating Homelands. Exhibition Catalogue. The Arab-American National Museum. Dearborn, Michigan. Jonathan Rinck. Artists and Poets Look at Homeland from a Distance. Hyperallergic. December 28, 2018. https://hyperallergic.com/475359/artists-and-poets-look-at-homelands-from-a-distance/ Ghosts of Presence / Bodies of Absence. Exhibition Catalogue. GalleryOne Publications. March 2017. Interview With Palestine national Public Radio. Host Nisreen Awwad: March 17, 2017 http://vop.ps/page-21758.html Jonathan Rinck. Artists and Poets Look at Homeland from a Distance. Hyperallergic. December 28, 2018. https://hyperallergic.com/475359/artists-and-poets-look-at-homelands-from-a-distance/ Ghosts of Presence / Bodies of Absence. Exhibition Catalogue. GalleryOne Publications. March 2017. Interview With Palestine national Public Radio. Host Nisreen Awwad: http://vop.ps/page-21758.html. March 17, 2017 Live TV Interview about my Exhibition “Ghosts of Presence / Bodies of Absence” on El Falestinia Television. March 23, 2017 Ghosts of Presence / Bodies of Absence. Review by Faten Nastas in Bethlehem Brighstar. March 20, 2017: http://brightstarsbethlehem.org/2017/03/ghosts-presence-art-john-halaka/ Stages of Homeland: Remembered Ghosts – Haunted Memories. Review in Jadalliya by Samer El Samber. April 6, 2017. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/26305/stages-of-homeland_remembered-ghosts_-haunted-memo?mc_cid=c6e032d750&mc_eid=aca12a096e Ghosts of Presence / Bodies of Absence. Review by Faten Nastas in This week in Palestine. March 22, 2017. http://thisweekinpalestine.com/review/ghosts-presence-bodies-absence/ Artwork included in the book: Palestine: Contemporary Art From Within and Beyond the Border. Edited by Faten Nastas Mitwasi. Imago Mundi. Luciano Benetton Collection. 2016 Radio interview. Voice of Palestine- Palestine National Public Radio. Program: Gallery with Nisreen Awad. Dec. 19. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA0GvgHJDE0&feature=share Sarah Irving. Art Show Tells of Global tales of Dispossession and Exile. Electronic Intifada July 9, 2015. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/sarah-irving/art-show-tells-global-tales-dispossession-and-exile Bashir Makhoul & Gordon Hon. The Origins of Palestinian Art. Liverpool University Press. 2015. Sarah Irving. Palestinian Artist John Halaka opens Barcelona Exhibit” at Al-Quds Gallery, Washington, D.C. The Electronic Intifada. http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/sarah-irving/palestinian-artist-john-halaka-opens-barcelona-exhibition Sarah Irving. Ghost-Like Images Haunt New York Display by Palestinian Artists. April 27, 2015. The Electronic Intifada. http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/sarah-irving/ghost-images-haunt-new-york-display-palestinian artists?utm_source=EI+readers&utm_campaign=d60ad41aea-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e802a7602d-d60ad41aea-290637425 Valerie Beheiry. The Map Is Not The Territory: Parallel Paths – Palestinians, Native Americans, Irish. International Journal of Islamic Art. Volume 4. Number 1. Spring 2015. Review of exhibit at Al-Quds Gallery, Washington, D.C. Islamic Arts Magazine: “Waging Peace: Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Article on exhibit at Al-Quds Gallery, Washington, D.C. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. http://www.wrmea.org/wrmea-archives/553-washington-report-archives-2011-2015/current-issue/12371-waging-peace-portraits-of-denial- desire.html Marta Monedero. Retrato les Absencies del Refugiats Palestins. El Punt Avui. July 27, 2014. Catalonia, Spain. Sarah Irving. Palestinian Artist John Halaka opens Barcelona Exhibit” at Al-Quds Gallery, Washington, D.C. The Electronic Intifada. http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/sarah-irving/palestinian-artist-john-halaka-opens-barcelona-exhibition Sarah Irving. Ghost-Like Images Haunt New York Display by Palestinian Artists. April 27, 2015. The Electronic Intifada. Valerie Beheiry. The Map Is Not The Territory: Parallel Paths – Palestinians, Native Americans, Irish. International Journal of Islamic Art. Volume 4. Number 1. Spring 2015.
Review of exhibit at Al-Quds Gallery, Washington, D.C. Islamic Arts Magazine: “Waging Peace: Portraits of Denial & Desire.” Article on exhibit at Al-Quds Gallery, Washington, D.C. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Kathy Zarur. Translation to Portuguese and republication of article “Art of the Levant. Podcast of lecture at the Palestine Center’s Gallery AL Quds: Dagmar Painter. The Map is Not the Territory: Parallel Paths-Palestinian-Native American-Irish. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. October 2013. http://www.wrmea.org/2013-september/the-map-is-not-the-territory-parallel-paths%E2%80%94palestinians-native-americans-irish.html Nora Barrows Friedman. I want them to Stand and Look. Podcast of interview with John Halaka. The electronic Intifada. Despina Moutsouris. Interview With John Halaka. "This Week in Palestine" radio program on WZBC Newton 90.3 Sarah Irving. Preserving Memory Through Art: An Interview with John Halaka. The Electronic Intifada. August 30, 2013. Sarah Irving. American Curators are Cowards when it Comes to Political Art. The Electronic Intifada. August 25, 2013. John Halaka. Ghosts of Comfort & Chaos. Jadaliyya on-line Journal. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/10784/ghosts-of-comfort-and-chaos. March 2013. Participated in an hour-long interview focusing on my artwork. The interview was broadcast on the Boston radio station WZBC on May 13, 2012. Niam Fleming-Farrell. �Putting an Activist Stamp on Art�. The Daily Star. Lebanon. January 9, 2012. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Art/2012/Jan-09/159163-putting-an-activist-stamp-on- art.ashx#axzz1it96bJai Anwar Hamed. John Halaka’s “Landscapes of Desire” and the Persistence of Memory. Exhibition review on the BBC Arabic website. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arabic/artandculture/2011/05/110505_landscape_art_exhibition.shtml. Michele Lee. An Idea Called Tomorrow. Exhibition Catalogue. Californian African American Museum. 2010 Salwa Mikdadi. New Visions: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Transworld Publishing. London. U.K. 2009. John Halaka. Outsiders on the Inside, published in the Australian journal Nebula, in an issue devoted to the Palestinian / Israeli conflict. Sonia Nettnin. Film Review: The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im. Znet. http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16745. March 2008. Fayeq S. Oweis. Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists. 2007. Greenwood Publishing Company. Portsmith, New Hampshire. Nathan Gutman. Palestinian Artists Find Venezuelan Ally. The Jewish Daily Forward. June 6, 2007. http://www.forward.com/articles/10895/. Kathy Zarur. Looking at the Levant. Art in America. September 2006. James Kalm. Made In Palestine. The Brooklyn Rail. April 2006. http://www.brooklynrail.org/2006-04/artseen/made-in-palestine. Holland Cotter. Made in Palestine. The New York Times. March 24, 2006. Kevin J. Kelley. Looking Homeward: Made in Palestine. Seven Days. November 2, 2005. http://www.sevendaysvt.com/features/2005/looking_homeward/. Anne Galloway. Palestinian Artists Bring Plight of Their People to Montpellier. Times Argus. October 21, 2005 Diane Bell. Professor Paints Mural in Middle-East. San Diego Union Tribune. August 27, 2005. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/bell/20050827-9999-7m27bell.html. “Piece Process 3”. Exhibition Catalogue. Gavilan College. 2005. Kate McClellan. In/Visible: Contemporary Art by Arab American Artists. Bidoun, ICONS Issue 05. Ramsay Short. U.S. exhibition depicts realities of life for Arab-Americans. Daily Star. Beirut, Lebanon. October 13, 2005. Voices of the Middle East. Khalil Bendid, Host. KPFA-FM, Berkeley. Interview with Susan Greene and myself regarding the murals we painted in Palestine. September 6, 2005. Electronic Intifada. Israeli Army stops West Bank mural project, citing Gaza disengagement. August 31, 2005. http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4152.shtml. Tina Sherwell. Paltel Virtual Gallery of Palestinian Art at Berzeit University. Video taped interview to be posted on the Virtual Gallery’s web site. August 2005. Birzeit, Palestine. http://virtualgallery.birzeit.edu/. Salwa Mikdadi. In/Visible: Contemporary Art by Arab American Artists. Exhibition Catalogue. Arab American National Museum. 2005. Maymanah Farhat. In/visible. Dar Al-Hayat. September 19, 2005. http://english.daralhayat.com/culture/09-2005/Article-20050919-6e6eff0a-c0a8-10ed-0026-faf27579aaab/story.html. Maymanah Farhat. In/Visible Art Exhibit Inaugurates Arab American National Museum. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. August 2005. P. 50-51. http://www.wrmea.com/archives/August_2005/0508050.html. Universe in Universe. In/Visible: Contemporary Art by Arab American Artists. Onnesha Roychoudhuri. Made in Palestine. Mother Jones. http://www.motherjones.com/arts/feature/2005/05/palestinian_art.html. Dynamic Art Exhibit Reflects Palestinians' Struggle, Love for Their Homeland. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. July 2005. Kenneth Baker. Palestinian Show Makes Art out of Grief. San Francisco Chronicle. April 19, 2005. Datebook, page E-2. Rob Eshelman. Made in Palestine. Electronic Intifada. Posted April 12, 2005. http://electronicIntifada.net/v2/article3754.shtm. Rob Eshelman. Made in Palestine. Counterpunch. April 8, 2005. http://www.counterpunch.org/eshelman04082005.html. The World This Weekend. Lorna Jackson, Host. Program consisting of interviews with artists and curators from the “Made In Palestine” exhibit at SOMARTS. Canadian Broadcast Company. CBC Radio One & Radio Two. Aired April 16, 2005. Robert Avila. History in the Waking. San Francisco Bay Guardian. April 13, 2005. Jonathan Curiel. Unknown face of Palestinian art. San Francisco Chronicle. April 3, 2005 P.C-3. Forum. Michael Krasny, Host. KQED-FM, San Francisco. Interview with Jim Harrithas, Samia Halaby, Susan Greene and myself. Broadcast live. April 12, 2005. Up Front. Sandip Roy, Host. KALW-FM, San Francisco. Interview with Susan Greene and myself regarding the “Made in Palestine” Exhibit at SOMARTS. Broadcast April 8, 2005. Robert Pincus. Matters of the Spirit. The San Diego Union Tribune. January 20, 2005. P. 40-41. Kelly Thomas. Worshiping at the Altar of Art. Beach & Bay Press. December 23, 2004. P.11. Station Museum. Made In Palestine. Exhibition Catalogue. Ineri Publishing. Houston, Texas. 2004. Kris Axtman. An Artistic “Road Map” to progress. The Christian Science Monitor. May 28, 2003. P. 2. Patricia Johnson. Stirring Exhibit…’Made in Palestine'. The Houston Chronicle. May 17, 2003. P 10D. Ileana Marcoulesco. Made in Palestine. ARTLIES. Summer 2003, P.78. Belinda C Hanley. Made in Palestine: A stirring Exhibit Closes in Houston and Hits the Road. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. November 2003. Troy Schulze. Personae of Persecution. Houston Press. July 3-9, 2003. P.33. Kelly Klaasmeyer. Peace Through Art. ‘Made in Palestine Humanizes the Middle East Conflict'. The Houston Press. July 31, 2003. P 40. Delgado, Harithas, Kerschen. Made In Palestine. Exhibition Brochure. 2003. Ineri Foundation. Houston, Texas. ARTLIFE. The Original Limited Edition Monthly. Volume 23, Number 5. Ventura, California. Living Arts: Open Journal. Michael Woodson, Producer. KPFT Radio Station. Houston, Texas. Interview with Artists and Curators from the “Made In Palestine” exhibition. Broadcast May 18, 2003 on KPFT Radio, as well as numerous other Pacifica Radio stations and Pacifica affiliate stations. Mark Elliott-Lugo. San Diego Profiles: John Halaka. San Diego City Access Cable Television, Channel 24. Half- hour interview related to my exhibition “Relics: Meditations on Decay and Renewal.” The interview was broadcast during the month of October and November 2002. San Diego, CA. Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal. A Handshake Felt in San Diego. San Diego Union Tribune. October 7, 1993, p. B-15. Erin K. Quirk. USD Symposium to Discuss PLO - Israeli Peace Talks. Vista. September 23,1993, p.1,3. Vol. XXIII, No, III. Lisetta Levi. "War Show Contains Predictable and Provocative Work." The New Voice. Issue #550. May 10-16, 1991. John Halaka. The War Show: Houston Voices, Creates Forum For Debate. Union of Independent Artist Newsletter. Vol. 1 #8. March-April 1991, p. 1, 6. John Halaka. Haunting Images of War Linger. The War Show: Houston Voices, Shares Visions of Horror. Union of Independent Artists Newsletter. Vol.1 #9. May 1991, cover, p. 1, 5. John Halaka. Reflections on The War Show: Houston Voices and Read My Mind. Union of Independent Artists Newsletter. Vol.1 #10. June-July 1991, p. 1, 2. Susan Chadwick. Art of the Age, Galleries Boast a New Generation of Talent. The Houston Post. May 21, 1989, p. H-29. Susan Chadwick. John Halaka, Drawings, at Graham Gallery. The Houston Post. February 21, 1988. The East End Show. Exhibition Catalogue. 1988. Susan Chadwick. Texas Art Celebration 88, Group Show of Paintings. The Houston Post. April 10, 1988, p. 4F. Fran Kalmykov. The East End Show. Lawndale Inquirer. April 1987, p. 10. Ed Hill and Suzanne Bloom. Review. Art Forum. December 1986, p. 121. Susan Chadwick. Houston Art Season Shaping Up With Notable Shows. The Houston Post. September 21, 1986, p. 4H. Then, Now & Then...50 Years of U. of H. Art. Exhibition Catalogue. 1985, p. 29. The East End Show. Exhibition Catalogue. 1984, p. 14. "Domestic Crude." 1983. Drawings on the inside front and back covers. Jeff Bray. Five Emerging Artists. Montrose Voice. 1983. Patricia Johnson. Shows Display Work of Visual Art Competitors. The Houston Chronicle. October 20, 1983, p. 3 Sect. 5. Nancy Loftis. Art League Exhibits Three U.H.ers' Work. The Daily Cougar. October 27, 1983, p. 5, 7. Stacy Reed. Diversity Highlights Blaffer Art Exhibit. Montage. June 1, 1983, p. 1, 13.
|