The Markaz (literally "the center"), originally The Levantine Cultural Center, was a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, which existed from 2001 until 2020. It offered artistic and educational programs focusing on the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, with classes and workshops for ethnic communities.

History

The center was founded in 2001 by a group of activists, artists and business professionals. Its original name was Levantine Cultural Center, but it changed its name to The Markaz at the end of June 2015. It presented artistic, educational, and outreach programs related to the

and

regions. The organization lost

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

status on April 15, 2014, for failing to file

Form 990 Form 990 (officially, the "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax") is a United States Internal Revenue Service form that provides the public with financial information about a nonprofit organization. It is often the only source of such i ...

s for three consecutive years. The center was closed in May 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, and the organization instead founded an online journal, ''The Markaz Review''.

Activities

The center produced or cosponsored artistic programs encouraging cross-cultural and multidisciplinary collaborations, and collaborates with the multi-faith Pico Union Project. Authors, artists and producers have collaborated with the center. Other activities included open evenings about Islam.

References

External links

Official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markaz Arab-American culture in California Armenian-American culture in Los Angeles Culture of Los Angeles Middle Eastern-American culture in California North African American culture in California 2001 establishments in California Organizations established in 2001