ArabishWay

SZ Gallery: Weaving Stories by PICHA, a book exhibit
2025-01-10 - 2025-01-31 | SZ Art Gallery, 2441 76th Avenue SE, Suite 160, Mercer Island, WA
SZ Gallery continues to feature Palestinian and Global South Artists to amplify their distinct and diverse voices, putting their humanity on display through an artist’s lens. It’s important that we showcase indigenous cultural experiences, in order to dispel dangerous stereotypes and dehumanizing propaganda. Our hope is for viewers to not only take refuge in the beauty, resilience and strength of the work, but to also offer prompts for empathetic and meaningful conversations about the art and culture of peoples around the world.
SZ Gallery proudly presents Weaving Stories by PICHA, a book exhibit celebrating the unique perspectives of Afrocentric communities, that also reveal the universal truths that connect us all.

ART OPENING: Friday, January 10, 5 – 8PM
BOOK SIGNING: Friday, February 7, 5 – 8PM
LITERARY SALON: Friday, March 7, 5 – 8PM
Mercer Island First Friday Art Walk
Warm tea, wine & sweet treats will be served.

Albanian Science Academy: Tatreez Workshop
2025-01-20 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Al Bayan Academy, 18323 Bothell Everett Hwy Suite 220, Bothell, WA, 98012, United States
In collaboration with Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), learn and explore the rich and intricate art of Palestine tatreez discuss and know how it became a powerful form of resistance. all skill levels are welcome- come learn and stitch with us!

Souk Seattle
2025-01-25 12:00 - 17:00 | 210 Seattle, 210 S Washington St, Seattle, WA, 98104
Yalla habibis, mark your calendars! 🙌🏽
We are thrilled to announce that our first SOUK Seattle will be on January 25th from 12–5pm at our new home, @210seattlein @pioneersquare.
✨ SOUK has been a dream of ours, born out of our desire to create a warm, community-centered space where we can gather, connect, and embrace our Arab heritage regularly. SOUK will feature local artisans and vendors, offering a beautiful showcase of Arab culture.
SOUK ‘lel kull’ – Whether you’re part of the Arab community or someone who supports or wants to learn more about our heritage, this will be a space for everyone to come together to embrace the spirit of the ancient souk- a place of cultural life, art, and social connection.
🧿 The event is free to attend (RSVP link coming soon)! Our hearts are always with Falastin 🍉 and Libnan 🇱🇧, so we will be hosting a charity raffle to raise funds for relief efforts.
🧿 Interested in becoming a vendor? Apply via link in bio (applications are due by 12/4) 📝 We have limited spots and are seeking talented artisans and vendors in handicrafts, clothing and accessories, art and music, home goods, beauty and skincare, kids’ products, beverages and gourmet foods.
We are so excited for this journey! Please help spread the word, and let’s create something beautiful together ✨
A heartfelt thank you to @alizeecastel for designing our stunning poster 🫶🏽
Nestanakoum ~ نستناكم

January Tatreez Circle for Palestinians
2025-01-26 13:00 - 16:00 | RSVP for Location
Seattle Resistance Tatreez presents: January Tatreez Circle for Palestinians
Food: Potluck style – bring something to share!
Location: Provided upon RSVP to seattleresistancetatreez@gmail.com or by DM
Please RSVP ASAP so we have accurate headcount.

Book Signing: SZ Gallery: Weaving Stories
2025-02-07 17:00 - 20:00 | SZ Art Gallery, 2441 76th Avenue SE, Suite 160, Mercer Island, WA
SZ Gallery continues to feature Palestinian and Global South Artists to amplify their distinct and diverse voices, putting their humanity on display through an artist’s lens. It’s important that we showcase indigenous cultural experiences, in order to dispel dangerous stereotypes and dehumanizing propaganda. Our hope is for viewers to not only take refuge in the beauty, resilience and strength of the work, but to also offer prompts for empathetic and meaningful conversations about the art and culture of peoples around the world.
SZ Gallery proudly presents Weaving Stories by PICHA, a book exhibit celebrating the unique perspectives of Afrocentric communities, that also reveal the universal truths that connect us all.

BOOK SIGNING: Friday, February 7, 5 – 8PM
LITERARY SALON: Friday, March 7, 5 – 8PM
Mercer Island First Friday Art Walk
Warm tea, wine & sweet treats will be served.

Islamic Art Patterns Watercolor Workshop
2025-03-01 14:00 - 16:00 | King County Library System – Valley View, 17850 Military Road S, Seatac, WA, 98188
Description

Explore techniques to create vibrant patterns and flowing biomorphic motifs. Using watercolor, blend traditional
artistry with modern expression.

Literary Salon: SZ Gallery: Weaving Stories
2025-03-07 17:00 - 20:00 | SZ Art Gallery, 2441 76th Avenue SE, Suite 160, Mercer Island, WA
SZ Gallery continues to feature Palestinian and Global South Artists to amplify their distinct and diverse voices, putting their humanity on display through an artist’s lens. It’s important that we showcase indigenous cultural experiences, in order to dispel dangerous stereotypes and dehumanizing propaganda. Our hope is for viewers to not only take refuge in the beauty, resilience and strength of the work, but to also offer prompts for empathetic and meaningful conversations about the art and culture of peoples around the world.
SZ Gallery proudly presents Weaving Stories by PICHA, a book exhibit celebrating the unique perspectives of Afrocentric communities, that also reveal the universal truths that connect us all.

LITERARY SALON: Friday, March 7, 5 – 8PM
Mercer Island First Friday Art Walk
Warm tea, wine & sweet treats will be served.

WEAVING STORIES - Literary Salon at SZ Gallery
2025-03-22 14:00 - 16:00 | SZ Art Gallery, 2441 76th Avenue SE, Suite 160, Mercer Island, WA
You are warmly invited to an engaging afternoon at our Literary Salon, “Weaving Stories – The Echoes Within,” on March 22nd, 2-4PM (sharp!) at the SZ Gallery on Mercer Island.
Join us on in a thoughtful discussion honoring the story weavers highlighted in the “Weaving Stories” book, powered by PICHA. The book is a rich collection of pictures and stories highlighting the voices of photographers from Afrocentric communities. Through powerful imagery, we’ll delve into shared human experiences and challenge our perspectives on visual storytelling.

The Salon will feature:

Discussion on the emotional impact of images and their cultural context
Reflections on the stories behind the photographs
Opportunity to connect with others and share insights
Information about grant opportunities funded by the book

Join us for an afternoon of rich conversation, inspiring community along with music and delicacies from the countries featured in the book.
We look forward to sharing this enriching experience with you.

Saturday, March 22, 2-4PM
SZ Gallery | 2441 76th Ave SE | Mercer Island
FREE Literary Salon
All are welcome, but seats are limited!
REGISTER TODAY!

Art Exhibit: Journey to the Homeland – Stories of People and Places
2025-03-29 13:00 - 16:00 | Yuan Ru Art Center, 12737 Bel-Red Road #100, Bellevue, WA, 98005
Come join us at the Yuan Ru Art Center for a captivating art exhibit showcasing the diverse stories of people and places. Immerse yourself in the beautiful artwork that will take you on a journey through different homelands and cultures. This in-person event is a unique opportunity to experience the world through the eyes of talented artists. Don’t miss out on this incredible showcase of creativity and storytelling!

Art: Resilience in Ruins: Reem Bassous
2025-04-03 - 2025-04-17 | Slip Stitch Studio, 604 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA, 98104
“Resilience in Ruins” powerfully explores trauma, memory, and resilience through the art of Reem Bassous, a Lebanese painter whose practice is deeply rooted in her personal experiences of war and its aftermath. Bassous confronts the destruction and emotional scars of the Lebanese Civil War through abstract, layered compositions and symbolism while creating space for healing, survival, and resilience.
​
This exhibition explores the enduring power of memory in shaping identity, community, and responses to ongoing violence. Bassous’s work transcends her personal history, engaging with universal themes of conflict and recovery, making her art deeply relevant in today’s geopolitical context. The Middle East remains fraught with tensions, mainly due to the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas, as well as Lebanon’s precarious position.
Bassous is continually reckoning with her past, present, and future self. She uses her art to resist violence and question how we witness conflict while inspiring compassion and resilience. The exhibition examines how personal and collective memory can serve as a means of resistance, offering a narrative of endurance and recovery in the face of trauma.

Virtual Lecture: The Timeless Thobe – Documenting Land, Heritage & Culture in Palestinian Dress
2025-05-24 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025

Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Online, Zoom link will be emailed 24 hours prior to event
Instructor: Wafa Ghnaim, Dress Historian, Researcher & Educator
Registration Fee: Sliding scale
The thobe, a traditional hand embroidered dress made and worn by Palestinian women for centuries, is the bedrock of Palestinian identity through heritage, culture and land. For millennia, women in the eastern Mediterranean have showcased their skillful stitchery on their traditional dress, displaying unique motifs, colors and styles across the various villages of old Palestine.
After 1948, over 750,000 Palestinians were forced into exile, carrying their dressmaking and embroidery traditions with them into refugee camps and around the world. As the diaspora spread across the globe, the largest and longest-standing population of displaced people in the world, the thobe evolved into a symbol of national and cultural identity beyond borders.
In this live virtual lecture, dress historian, researcher, and educator Wafa Ghnaim will explore the evolution of the thobe and the visual language of tatreez (embroidery) as used on traditional Palestinian dress. From village styles to diasporic adaptations, this talk offers a compelling look at how dress documents the intertwined threads of history, memory, and identity.
What You’ll Receive:

Live access to the 2-hour lecture
A recording for 7 days after the live session

Important Notes:

Tickets are nonrefundable.
This is a live, virtual event hosted via Zoom.
Registration closes at 10:00 AM EST on May 24, 2025.
A Zoom link will be sent via email the day before the event.
The instructor reserves the right to review and decline registrations at her discretion to ensure a respectful and safe learning environment for all participants.
Space is limited to ensure an intimate and interactive experience.
Sharing your camera is required.

Virtual Lecture: Tatreez Symbolisms Interpreting Meaning in Palestinian Embroidery Motifs & Al Naksa
2025-06-06 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Virtual Lecture: Tatreez Symbolisms Interpreting Meaning in Palestinian Embroidery Motifs & Al Naksa 🗓 Friday, June 6, 2025 ⏰ 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST 📍 Online (Zoom link sent 24 hours prior) 🎟 Sliding scale registration 👤 Instructor: Wafa Ghnaim, Dress Historian & Educator
This lecture commemorates the Six-Day War (June 5–10, 1967), which began the ongoing Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. In the wake of this seismic event, tatreez shifted in its meaning and function as a form cultural expression. From the intimate labor of individual women’s hands to the international recognition of Palestinian embroidery by UNESCO in 2021 as Intangible Cultural Heritage, tatreez continues to serve as a vessel of collective memory and a historical record of the Palestinian people.
Photograph by @m0nastic Chris Gale
🔗 Register at the link in bio
#Tatreez #PalestinianEmbroidery#AlNaksa #WafaGhnaim #artsed#arthistory

Tatreez Workshop
2025-06-21 18:00 - 21:00 | UW – the Quad, Pierce Ln, Seattle, WA, 98195
Mark your calendars! Come join us for a fun workshop where you will learn about the significance of Tatreez in Palestinian culture and how to stitch your own design!
Please RSVP with the link in bio!
Hope to see you there!
#tatreez #tatreezembroidery #tatreezandtea#tatreezworkshop #tatreezdesign #freepalesti̇ne

Feral Abbasi-Ghnaim: A Celebration of Palestinian Embroidery
2025-06-28 13:00 - 19:00, 2025-06-29 16:30 - 20:00 | SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center, 2942 NE MLK Jr. Boulevard, Portland, OR, 97203, United States
A Celebration of Palestinian Embroidery presents selected works by Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim, an award-winning master artist, renowned teacher, mother, and grandmother, in honor of her birthday. Throughout her life and career, Abbasi-Ghnaim has devoted herself to preserving and passing down the centuries-old art of tatreez to Palestinian women and girls in the diaspora. She has also worked to educate the American public about its deep significance, both as an intangible cultural heritage and as a tangible documentation for storytelling, identity, and resistance. This exhibition honors her remarkable contributions to the community and the world, as documented in Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora (2016). Organized by her three daughters, this intimate exhibition highlights how her work functions as both a personal and collective archive of beauty, memory, and sorrow. Every stitch bridges home and homeland, threading stories across generations and geographies. Through her hands, tatreez becomes more than embroidery—it becomes a visual language of Palestinian resilience, identity, and creative expression in exile.

A Celebration of Palestinian Embroidery - Guided Tour
2025-06-29 12:00 - 14:00 | SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center, 2942 NE MLK Jr. Boulevard, Portland, OR, 97203, United States
Curator Tour: The tour will be conducted by her daughters, Wafa and Safa, sharing the concept behind the exhibition, their mother’s life’s work, and the history and meaning of each artwork in the gallery.

Registration required

A Celebration of Palestinian Embroidery presents selected works by Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim, an award-winning master artist, renowned teacher, mother, and grandmother, in honor of her birthday. Throughout her life and career, Abbasi-Ghnaim has devoted herself to preserving and passing down the centuries-old art of tatreez to Palestinian women and girls in the diaspora. She has also worked to educate the American public about its deep significance, both as an intangible cultural heritage and as a tangible documentation for storytelling, identity, and resistance. This exhibition honors her remarkable contributions to the community and the world, as documented in Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora (2016).
Organized by her three daughters, this intimate exhibition highlights how her work functions as both a personal and collective archive of beauty, memory, and sorrow. Every stitch bridges home and homeland, threading stories across generations and geographies. Through her hands, tatreez becomes more than embroidery—it becomes a visual language of Palestinian resilience, identity, and creative expression in exile.

Stitching Circle Workshop
2025-06-29 14:30 - 16:30 | SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center, 2942 NE MLK Jr. Boulevard, Portland, OR, 97203, United States
Stitching Circle Workshop: Mrs. Feryal will be in attendance to share stories and drink tea, while practicing Palestinian embroidery with the group. Please note that this is not a class, and all participants must bring their own supplies.

Registration required
A Celebration of Palestinian Embroidery presents selected works by Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim, an award-winning master artist, renowned teacher, mother, and grandmother, in honor of her birthday. Throughout her life and career, Abbasi-Ghnaim has devoted herself to preserving and passing down the centuries-old art of tatreez to Palestinian women and girls in the diaspora. She has also worked to educate the American public about its deep significance, both as an intangible cultural heritage and as a tangible documentation for storytelling, identity, and resistance. This exhibition honors her remarkable contributions to the community and the world, as documented in Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora (2016).
Organized by her three daughters, this intimate exhibition highlights how her work functions as both a personal and collective archive of beauty, memory, and sorrow. Every stitch bridges home and homeland, threading stories across generations and geographies. Through her hands, tatreez becomes more than embroidery—it becomes a visual language of Palestinian resilience, identity, and creative expression in exile.

Virtual Lecture: Regional Distinctions in Palestinian Dress
2025-07-18 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Late 19th/Early 20th Centuries

Date: Friday, July 18, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Online, Zoom link will be emailed 24 hours prior to event
Instructor: Wafa Ghnaim, Dress Historian, Researcher & Educator
Registration Fee: Sliding scale
Description: Until the mid-twentieth century, the dress of the Palestinian people was descriptive of identity; first by societal segment (city dweller, villager or nomad), and then by the region in which the wearer came. Within each regional style, finer distinctions in women’s dress (thobe) were expressed that shared the maker’s life and the natural world around her. Palestinian women recorded their identity in their thobe with embroidery (tatreez) through a shared illustrative language of embroidered patterns, stitching techniques and thread colors. The thobe records unwritten stories and serves as a visual register of collective and individual identities, documenting a woman’s village, tribe or town, her marital status, her familial lineage, and the material impact of colonialism, occupation, war and exile. The regional identity of the woman defines the overall governing style of her thobe, and evidence of identity is largely through her embodiment of land.
This lecture will discuss the regional distinctions in dress in historical Palestine by city, village and tribe for at least six regions, to include Ramallah, Galilee, Gaza, Bir Saba, Al Khalil, and Bethlehem.
What You’ll Receive:

Live access to the 2-hour lecture
A recording for 7 days after the live session

Mary Ann Peters: myself inside your story
2025-08-16 - 2026-01-25 | the Whatcom Museum, 250 Flora Street, 121 Prospect St, Bellingham, WA, 98225
An artist and activist for five decades, Mary Ann Peters’ drawings, paintings, and sculptural installations address the incomplete histories of the Middle East. A second-generation Lebanese American woman, Peters is simultaneously connected to and distanced from a family homeland known to her through generations of stories, photographs, and lived experiences, as well as her travels abroad, and – like many of us – from news sources. As the title of exhibition hints, Peters makes reference to histories that are not her story but are, by heritage, a connection to documented cultural records tied to the Middle East.

Kids for Palestine (Olympia)
2025-08-31, 2025-09-07, 2025-09-28 13:30 - 15:00, 2025-10-05 13:30 - 15:00, 2025-11-02 13:30 - 15:00 | Woodruff Park, 1500 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia, WA, 98502
Gather with other families at Woodruff Park, in West Olympia (near the tennis and pickleball courts) every Sunday, 1-4 pm, to support Palestine through conversation and art in a kid-friendly event.

Make & Take for Gaza
2025-08-31 13:00 - 16:00 | A Crafty Arab Studio, 2701 153rd Ave SE, Bellevue, WA
One of the featured crafts is Tatreez, a Palestinian embroidery that uses colorful thread to create symbolic patterns on clothing and textiles.

Join from 1-4pm to raise money for SCM Medical Mission’s charity efforts in Gaza.

Arabs Who Art
2025-09-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Seattle Art Museum, 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101
Let’s explore Seattle’s art museum together! The museum has free programming the first Thursday of every month and it’s always a good time.

Tatreez in Conversation: Six Dresses, Six Stories
2025-09-25 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Tatreez in Conversation: Six Dresses, Six Stories

Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Online, Zoom link will be emailed 24 hours prior to event
Instructor: Wafa Ghnaim, Dress Historian, Researcher & Educator
Registration Fee: Sliding scale, starting at $10
Description: Until the mid-twentieth century, the dress of the Palestinian people was descriptive of identity; first by societal segment (city dweller, villager or nomad), and then by the region in which the wearer came. Within each regional style, finer distinctions in women’s dress (thobe) were expressed that shared the maker’s life and the natural world around her. Palestinian women recorded their identity in their thobe with embroidery (tatreez) through a shared illustrative language of embroidered patterns, stitching techniques and thread colors.
After al-Nakba and throughout the 1960s, the thobe transformed into a reflection of national identity. It no longer signified a woman’s village, tribe, or town, her marital status, or her familial lineage, but instead bore the material impact of colonialism, occupation, war, and exile. While the loss of regional identity in dress is registered as part of the violence Palestinians endured during al-Nakba, this shift also marks a moment of unity in Palestinian communities newly dispersed and scattered across the region. The six-branch dress, a dress construction that became a governing style by the 1960s, showcases innovative approaches by women at the time to protect a vital component to Palestinian cultural heritage.
This lecture will focus on the six dresses presented in Tatreez Inheritance, examining their material characteristics, their paths to the United States, and the ways in which one can employ the art of “close looking”—a skill Wafa learned from her mother at a young age—to uncover evidence of a woman’s personality, vocation, life, and sense of pride.

Paint for Palestine
2025-09-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Cathy Hillenbrand Community Room, 1635 11th Ave, Seattle, WA
Join us for a still life watercolor painting class and social with local painter Nick (he/they/it) to help raise funds our three friends in Gaza and their families: Farah @artist_farah20 , Shahed @sh_.com80 and Ritaj @retaj_.muhammad .
Tickets for this event are on a sliding scale, from free to whatever you can donate, with a suggested donation of $30 or more per person attending. Registration is required, as seats are limited!
Painting supplies will be provided and have been generously donated by individuals to help us raise money for these families, so please contribute what you can! If you can’t make this event, please consider donating and sharing their campaigns!🙏
The families prefer that you donate directly to their GoFundMe/Chuffed accounts. Links to the accounts are in the registration form and QR codes are in the slides for each family. This is an incredibly crucial time to be supporting families in Gaza. Farah was just injured collecting firewood for her family and needs urgent treatment to avoid surgery. Shahed and her family urgently need to evacuate Gaza City. The last time we heard from Ritaj, her father was ill, and she was supporting him and her family. Please help them!

Visions of Grief and Hope
2025-10-18 17:00 - 21:00 | Sparklebarn, 2611 NW Market St, Seattle, WA, 98107
Washington for Peace and Justice presents ‘Visions of Grief and Hope’, a showcase of art by Diana Fakhoury and Brady Black. Art, henna, music, stories, drinks by @yahalaseattle and more! The event starts at 5pm, I hope to see you there!!! Also if you haven’t checked out the venue, @sparklebarn is absolutely beautiful, you will love it 🇵🇸
Flyer cred: @ryanjgill_gillco

Tatreez circle + potluck
2025-11-02 11:00 - 14:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Sunday 11/2 Tatreez circle + potluck
Come by with your tatreez (or other craft) project, and bring some food to share.
Open to all
(Note: This is not a structured class but the community is always happy to help if you are learning or need help!)
♥️ See you this weekend!
Share with your friends, and DM us if you are able to bring some food to share!
(Reminder: We know it’s Halloween tomorrow, please be thoughtful and no gory or scary costumes)
