Jamal Daniel serves as the chairman of Crest Investment Company and The Levant Foundation. Among his responsibilities at The Levant Foundation, Jamal Daniel assists with the nonprofit organization's mission to raise awareness for Middle Eastern culture and history. Among the stories the foundation has recently shared is the rise of contemporary calligraphers.

1. MODERN ARTISTS
BRING ANCIENT
CALLIGRAPHY INTO
THE 21ST CENTURY
Jamal Daniel

2. Introduction
• Jamal Daniel serves as the chairman of Crest Investment Company
andThe Levant Foundation.Among his responsibilities atThe
Levant Foundation, Jamal Daniel assists with the nonprofit
organization's mission to raise awareness for Middle Eastern
culture and history.Among the stories the foundation has recently
shared is the rise of contemporary calligraphers.
There is a movement among modern artists, curators, and
museums to interpret and display ancient calligraphy.One example
is Kufic calligraphy, an ancient form of writing that takes its name
from Kufah, Iraq. Having developed in the 7th century, Kufic
calligraphy was regularly used until the 13th century.

3. Calligraphy
• The beauty of the calligraphy was meant to convey the importance
of the words, and it was often so ornate the words themselves
could not be read.
Some artists are drawn to the physical act of dipping a writing
utensil into ink and precisely and slowly forming each letter of a
word. Others wish to connect to Middle Eastern history and
tradition.Today, interested parties have many opportunities to
connect with both ancient and modern works of calligraphy. Some
artists, such as Joumana Medlej, offer calligraphy classes, and the
WashingtonCalligraphersGuild provides news and gallery
announcements for calligraphers in the U.S.Additionally, the
forthcoming documentary calledA Brush with Silence by the BBC is
dedicated to calligraphy.