Huda Totonji, an expert in Islamic calligraphy and fine art, will be the first Saudi woman to lecture at Harvard University in the
United States. She previously taught at Dar Al-Hekma College in Jeddah. Currently, she works at Georgetown University and the Art Institute of Washington and she runs her own company, Huda Art. In an exclusive interview with Arwa Al-Rikabi of Arab News, Totonji said that in the Islamic world, calligraphy is considered a revered form of artistic expression. It is through the act of writing that the Qur’an was recorded, and it was only to be recorded in the most beautiful form. Since then the Arabic script was continuously refined and embellished to become one of the most recognizable and prevalent symbols of Islam. This is the domain of Totonji’s
course, which will start on Jan. 3 at Harvard University.
Arab News: How did you come to give a course at Harvard?
Huda Totonji: “After traveling to many states around the US, giving talks, and conducting workshops at renowned universities, I felt a need to offer this course at a higher education level. I wanted to grow the seeds. Most of the students who attended my lectures expressed their love for this art and said they wanted this art form to be available for students from all disciplines. This course sets aside religious, language, and cultural barriers. It allows students from different majors to learn more about this art form and its beauty, without the pressure of learning Arabic, or studying religion. Harvard University Extension School makes Arabic calligraphy accessible to all. I submitted my proposal for this course and it immediately got accepted with enthusiastic feedback from potential students and interested academics. This is just an introduction to a drop of the vast knowledge in Islamic Art. It is the first time Arabic calligraphy will be taught at Harvard University by a Muslim, Arab, and female artist, researcher, scholar, and master calligrapher.”
AN: What will be the gist of the course?
HT: “Islamic calligraphy is one of the finest and most subtle of arts created by Muslim artists who found inspiration in nature for their ideas, designs, and ornamental and shaping components which they put together to create distinguished art. Traditionally, Islamic art consists of two visual art forms. One is Islamic ornamentation found in floral and geometric designs and the other is Arabic calligraphy. This course focuses on the beauty of Arabic calligraphy manifested in four major styles: Riqaa, Naskh, Deewani, and Thuluth. It is an introductory course, which is part of a certificate program that I offer to my students who wish to advance in their learning.
“The Riqa style is the first style to learn in a beginner’s level course. The most advanced style is Thuluth. In a higher education setting, my students will be exposed to works by old masters and contemporary artists and calligraphers. Students will identify the various forms of Arabic calligraphy and its aesthetics, as well as the building foundations for well-known Arabic scripts. Students will use creative processes in the area of design, using Islamic ornamentation and Arabic calligraphy.”
AN: When you taught this course before, what type of feedback did you receive?
HT: “I taught this course at Dar Al-Hekma College in Jeddah to graphic design students. I also held workshops and gave talks about Arabic calligraphy in many universities. Among these are: Georgetown University, George Washington University, John Hopkins University, Texas A & M University, Kansas State University, and Griffith University in Australia. I was also invited to the United Nations and National Geographic to exhibit my calligraphic paintings. Most recently, I was invited to visit Korea to give a workshop and talk about Arabic calligraphy for English language students and teachers. I always received positive feedback about the continuous interest to learn Arabic calligraphy.”
AN: What is the significance of such a course being taught in the US in terms of Muslim-West relations?
HT: “This course introduces students to the beauty of this rich tradition. It brings the history of the East to the West with a hands-on experience. It brings together the similarities between Muslim and Western culture and shows how we both value art, beauty, and culture. It educates the American public about Islam and Arab culture without touching on political issues. By looking at the way in which calligraphers made aesthetic decisions to create their work, we come to understand enduring aspects of Islam. This course raises questions about how one could understand other cultures and civilizations. The graduate level students are exposed to higher-level readings and scholarly research about Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy. The undergraduate students create works of art that add to their portfolio as artists. The course also counts as a foreign language credit or humanities credit requirement. Students registered for noncredit take this course to continue their education on a subject of their interest. Within the artistic legacies and contributions of that culture, there remains a universal connection that art gives to humans. This course will help students gain a better understanding of how art can serve as a bridge to heal some of the cross-cultural divides and uncertainties we face about Islamic culture today. It will provide them with a deeper sense of how Islamic art contributed to western civilization, as well as the role it played in the Islamic civilization. It will help students understand how art can serve as a source for cross-cultural understanding and improve interfaith relations. It provides a venue and an opportunity for participants to discuss, debate, and reflect upon art objects in the context of the larger art discourse and humanities scholarship.
AN: You wrote in the book “Islamic Calligraphy” about the spiritual enlightenment associated with the Arabic text and calligraphy. What is your personal experience in this field, as a master calligrapher?
HT: “Islamic art is designed to lift human beings into a new relation to their surroundings, or to the divine and heavenly realm. As a Muslim woman and calligrapher, to me the act of writing is a form of worship in itself. As a ritual, after performing ablution, I indulge in an inspirational spiritual process through the relationship I establish (with God’s help) between the pen, the ink, and the paper. The words I write are sacred text derived from the Holy Qur’an or selections from daily prayers from the Hadith. The pen and the ink are viewed metaphorically as an extension of the human from the inner spiritual world to the outer contextual world. As a calligrapher my marks using the pen and ink are similar to those strokes I make on earth by dipping into my inner soul. When I write the Arabic letter alif to form the first letter of the most beautiful creator’s name, Allah, I go through a lifelong journey to evolve a sound character. Calligraphy teaches me discipline with its power to preserve knowledge and share it with the world.”
AN: What would you like the layman in arts and calligraphy to know about Islamic calligraphy?
HT: “Islamic calligraphy is a unique collection of Islamic art. I believe that the artworks by master calligraphers and contemporary text artists unravel a beautiful canvas like a fluid calligraphy. This invokes in the viewer a feeling of peace, tranquility, and a quiet melody that sings a song to awaken the soul. Arabic calligraphy transcends all cultural, religious, and language barriers. I strive to continue to revive the art of Islamic calligraphy in America. In my course at Harvard University, I identify contemporary Muslim artists who combine classical standards with a modern sensibility to produce works on paper and on mixed media.”
