The "Made in Palestine" art exhibit opening in New York City was attended by 2,000 people. (Lubna Takruri)

With its traditional fanfare and grace, New York City welcomed the "Made in Palestine" exhibit at an opening gala party on March 16.

Polly Sylvia, an organizer who helped out with the show, called the crowd of nearly 2,000 people "phenomenal."

"It was all types of people, not just Palestinian, or Arab or activist," she said. "People from all walks of life came. We're very happy. Tonight was a huge success."

For four hours crowds of fur-coat draped Upper East Siders, dreadlocked activists and curious visitors poured out of the elevator into the third-floor Chelsea gallery space.

There was much to buzz about. Partiers nibbled on traditional Palestinian appetizers like stuffed grape leaves, feta cheese pies and fried kubba stuffed with ground beef. Walking through the packed gallery, visitors were able to speak with some of the artists, curators and organizers.

New York-Palestinian musical group Shusmo played traditional songs.

The visit was a learning experience, as intended by the organizers, for many of the visitors.

"I think it's important that the Palestinians are people, not just in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The exhibit conveys the Palestinians in the sense of themselves, and also their suffering, so I hope many more people see it," said Christine from Philadelphia.

Issa is a young woman from New York who heard about the show from email list serves. For her John Halaka's large-scale work, "Forgotten Survivors," with anonymous dark figures fleeing in exile, embodied this spirit of the exhibit the most.

"I'm really noticing the humanity, and the collective experience versus the personal," she said.

Nadia Russ, an artist from Russia now living in New York, said she was surprised by the exhibit because she had always heard there were no Arab artists.

"But this is lots of emotion, lots of passion," she said after she mused over Zughdi al-Adawi's vibrant portrayals of the Palestinian struggle and life in Israeli prison, where he spent many years. "This is a combination of sad and optimism. It's very bright, very colorful art."

For the Jissir group (which means "bridge" in Arabic), the gala night was the culmination of several years of fundraising and work. After raising forty-thousand dollars, the group succeeded in bringing the high-caliber pieces from all over the world to the show's fourth North American stop in New York City.

Learn more about "Made in Palestine."

The show is at the Bridge gallery at 521 26th St. in Chelsea, New York City until April 22.

Visit www.madeinpalestine.com to find out about events scheduled at the gallery throughout the coming month.