The School of Architecture and Planning at the Catholic University of America will be presenting the lecture: “NY MASJID: THE MOSQUES OF NEW YORK AND THE PROBLEM OF SPIRITUAL SPACE” by Dr. Jerrilynn D. Dodds.

There are over 100 mosques in New York City, spaces that range from converted storefronts to high profile free standing buildings designed by name architects. They offer us a chance to understand the ambivalent relationship between design, prayer space and our notion of sacred space in the construction of the mosque, and to chart the interaction between culture, religion and identity in New York City.

Dr. Jerrilynn Dodds is a Professor and Dean of the College at Sarah Lawrence College, where she works on issues of artistic interchange -in particular among Christians, Jews, and Muslims- and how groups form identities through art and architecture. She has a special interest in the arts of Spain and the history of architecture. Dr. Dodds is the author of Architecture and Ideology in Early Medieval Spain, and NY Masjid: The Mosques of New York. She is also the co-author of Arts of Intimacy: Christians Jews and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture and many other publications. Dr. Dodds completed a BA at Barnard College and a MA and PhD at Harvard University.

The lecture will be at the Koubek Auditorium, Crough Center for Architectural Studies, The Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Ave. N.E. Washington D.C. All are welcome.