PROGRAM – 8th Edition of the International Artists Gathering

10:00 AM

Workshop Talk

Therapy: Between Tradition and Modernity

Led by Hajar Fradin, Psychologist (France – Morocco)

📍 ECOLE DES MÉTIERS D’ART SHEMS’Y

3:00 PM

Architecture Workshop CANCELLED

Design for All: Architecture as a Tool for Accessibility

Led by Safa Ameedee, Architect (Germany)

📍 Euromed University Design and Architecture Department

3:00 PM

Panel Discussions

Morocco-USA: Art in Dialogue

For its 8th edition, the Fez Gathering welcomes six artists whose lives and practices span Morocco, the United States, and broader international contexts, bringing diverse perspectives to this year’s theme of collective healing. This panel highlights a long-standing relationship between Morocco and the United States, rooted in dialogue and cultural exchange. Bringing together Moroccan and transnational US voices, this cross-cultural discussion explores how art can foster connection, reflection, and collective transformation.

📍 ALIF Riad

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Film Screening

Gardens of Fez

By Heidi Vogels (Netherlands)

📍 CENTRE culturel DES ETOILES DE FES

8:00 PM

Musical Performance

Songs from Fez, Songs for Peace

Performances by:

Arinass Band (Morocco)
Nejia Abidi (Tunisia)
Douae Chraibi (Morocco)
Abdulraheem Uthman Adeshina (Nigeria)

📍 ALIF RIAD

10:00 AM

Art Therapy

Pottery Workshop

Led by Meriam Benniche (UK)

📍 Centre Culturel Iklyle Fes

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Panel Discussions

The Role of Art in Mental Health: Spirituality & Modernity

Led by Mohammed Hamdouni (Morocco) and Courtney Erwin (Morocco/USA)

● Limited space available: Please register at fezgatheringevent@gmail.com

📍 Batha Museum of Islamic Arts

3:00 PM

Workshop

Vedic Art

Led by Evelien Popelier (Belgium)

● Limited space available: Please register at fezgatheringworkshop@gmail.com

📍 Centre culturel des Etoiles de Fes

6:00 PM

Exhibition Opening

The Art of Healing

The exhibition will be viewable from 6 PM on May 15 and from May 16-17 from 10 AM – 4 PM

Artist Participants:

Phillip Kojo Metz, Visual Artist (Germany)
Ahmed Bennani, Visual Artist (Morocco)
Mary Ellen Childs, Visual Artist (USA)
Emma Nightingale, Visual Artist (UK)
Omar Chennafi, Visual Artist (Morocco)
Mohamed Charkaoui, Calligrapher (Morocco)

📍 KAN YA MAKAN CENTER

Take a taxi or follow the above Google Maps link to Bab Semmarine. This video shows the way from Bab Semmarine to Kan Ya Makan.

8:00 PM

Music Performance

Invisible – Visible

Maria Caixés, Nejia Abidi & Local Traditional Ensembles (Gnawa, Iassawa, Jilala, Hmadcha)

📍 KAN YA MAKAN CENTER

Take a taxi or follow the above Google Maps link to Bab Semmarine. This video shows the way from Bab Semmarine to Kan Ya Makan.

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Workshop

A Gentle Return: Block Printing as a Practice of Care and Connection

Led by Zahra Amber (UK)

📍 ALIF RIAD

Directional note: Google Maps does not work well to ALIF Riad. Do not follow the colorful, arrow-shaped signs pointing to “Riad Alif,” which is a guest house.

Use this video to ALIF Riad from Boutique Heritage Hotel at Batha.

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Film Screening

SAMA – To Listen: A Musical Healing Journey

Directed by Darek Mazzone (USA). Music produced by Peter Culshaw (UK)

📍 Centre culturel des Etoiles de Fes

Directional note: Google Maps does not work well to Les Étoiles.

Use this video to Les Étoiles from Boutique Heritage Hotel at Batha

8:30 PM

Music Performance

Healing Beyond Borders

This concert presents a fusion of musical genres, including Gnawa and Jazz, rooted in African and Brazilian traditions. It creates a powerful dialogue between musicians from Morocco, Brazil, Portugal, and France, shaping a shared healing journey that connects cultures through rhythm and sound.

● Limited space available:

Directional note: Google Maps does not work well to Maison Pop.

Use this video to Maison Pop from Boutique Heritage Hotel at Batha

Please register at fezgatheringevent@gmail.com

Artist Participants:

Yedo Gibson, Musician (Brazil)
Guilherme Pestana Vaz, Musician (Portugal)
Tainá E I O U, Visual Artist (Brazil)
Ismaeil Maarouf, Musician (Morocco)
Ben Mouller, Musician (France)

📍 MAISON POP

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Guided Tour CANCELLED

Art and Studio Tour

Explore local creative spaces (Info: TBD)

📍 AROUND THE MEDINA

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Exhibition Part II

The Healing Market

The Healing Market is a market created by students and designers from Shems’y, as well as individuals and local artists from different local communities, transforming discarded materials into a reimagined marketplace where upcycled objects are given new meaning through creativity, care, and collective imagination.

📍 ECOLE DES MÉTIERS D’ART SHEMS’Y

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Workshop

Pattern Game Boards Workshop

Led by Maria Velasco (USA/Spain)

📍 ECOLE DES MÉTIERS D’ART SHEMS’Y

6:30 PM

Theatre In Moroccan Dialect

The Blue Horse: Interactive Theatrical Experience

Participants:

Nouhaila Hakim, Singer (Morocco)
Abdelkader Taqif, Actor (Morocco)
Oussama Wabdi, Musician and Composer (Morocco)
Yousra Ataouyl, Actress (Morocco)
Dawd Davide Parisi, Social Theatre Facilitator (Italy)
Amira Jaghmoun, Scenographer (Tunisia)
Mohammed Mastacou, Theatre Actor (Morocco)

📍 Medina Social Club

Directional note: Google links do not always work to this venue.

Use this video to Medina Social Club from Boutique Heritage Hotel at Batha.

Full program