Group Exhibition 'The Conference of The Birds' Opens at Shirley Fiterman Art Center

A group exhibition titled 'The Conference of The Birds' opened at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center, located at 81 Barclay Street at the corner of West Broadway in New York City, United States. The exhibition draws inspiration from a 12th-century Sufi masterpiece by Attar of Nishapur, which follows thirty birds seeking the mythical Simorgh as their king. Curator Brenda Zlamany selected works from over thirty artists, including Hunt Slonem, whose 2008 oil painting 'Lories' (93 x 133 inches) greets visitors. The show features variations on ornithological themes, reflecting the poem's allegory where birds discover only their own reflections in a deserted lake. A concert on Friday, June 19, 2016, from 6:30 to 8 PM featured artists Kurt Hoffman and David Humphrey. The exhibition remains on view through July 9, 2016, at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center, which is part of the Borough of Manhattan Community College. The source poem plays on a pun between 'Simorgh' and the Persian word for 'thirty,' with each bird representing a human obstacle to enlightenment.