Landis Homes will host an exhibit of artworks by 20 Middle Eastern artists. The exhibit is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Landis Homes, 1001 E. Oregon Road, Lititz. Refreshments will be provided.

The exhibit is presented by Mel Lehman, a Lancaster County native and graduate of Lancaster Mennonite High School whose career has spanned literature, theology, and international humanitarian work. Lehman earned a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Mennonite University, a Master of Arts in theology from Union Theological Seminary, and a Master of Arts in literature from Columbia University.

In the first part of his career, he worked for 20 years at Church World Service as an editor in international humanitarian issues, and during that time, he made several visits to the Middle East. He came to realize that the ordinary people he met there were unlike the images of Middle Easterners he often saw in the U.S. media. In 2009, he founded a peacemaking organization called Common Humanity, which seeks to build a better understanding of the people of the Middle East through art.

The works to be on view in the upcoming exhibit portray the beauty and humanity of Middle Eastern and Arab culture. A significant number of the artists hail from Iraq, and many of the artists had flourishing professional careers before violence compelled them to seek refuge in Syria. Lehman encountered these people in Damascus, facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and has been collaborating with them for over a decade. Additionally, the exhibit includes paintings by Syrian artists and a piece from Gaza.

In addition to the exhibit, Lehman will teach a class at the Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning. For more information, visit http://www.thepathwaysinstitute.org/lancaster-county.

Those unable to attend the exhibit may explore the artwork at http://www.commonhumanity.org.