Washington, DC

The Qatar America Institute for Culture and the Museum of the Palestinian People (MPP) are thrilled to host an Introductory Palestinian Embroidery Class with Wafa Ghnaim on Friday, May 12, from 6 – 8 pm at QAIC’s headquarters (1319 18th St NW, Washington DC.)

Join instructor, textile researcher, author and curator, Wafa Ghnaim in this Introductory Palestinian Embroidery Class focused on the amulet motif. The amulet is one of the oldest patterns found in Palestinian embroidery, known for its protective qualities that provide good luck to the wearer. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the traditional Palestinian dress (thobe) often incorporated a multitude of amulet motifs, regardless of the regional origination of the embroiderer. This class will introduce the amulet motif within an art historical analysis, emphasizing its history, origins and meaning. The instructor will provide hands-on Palestinian embroidery instruction, guiding students on how to produce the cross-stitch using historic methodologies.

A small kit with supplies and pattern will be furnished to each student on the day of the class. Please do not bring food and ensure that your drinks are covered. All experience levels are welcome to participate in this event.

Please note that May 15, 2023, will be a commemorative event acknowledging 75 years since the 1948 al-Nakba, or “catastrophe” in Arabic. This is a safe space for Palestinians in attendance to share their oral histories and share embroideries from their family. For those that are not Palestinian, please connect with the instructor in advance if you have any questions about this classroom experience.

This class is jointly hosted by The Tatreez Institute, Qatar America Institute for Culture, and Museum of the Palestinian People. When registering for this event, you are opting into the email lists for these three groups. There will be an option to unsubscribe to the list after receiving the first email. Space is limited, register today!

Proceeds from the registration fee will be support The Tatreez Institute, QAIC and MPP.

About the Instructor

Wafa Ghnaim is a Palestinian researcher, author and educator who began learning embroidery from her mother, award-winning artist Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim, when she was two years old. Her first book, “Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora” (2018), documents the traditional patterns and stories passed on to her by her mother. Wafa has since become a leading educator in the field of Levantine embroidery and textile art history, as the first-ever Palestinian embroidery instructor at the Smithsonian Museum, Curator for the Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington, D.C., and most recently, Senior Research Fellow for The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wafa continues her mother’s educational legacy through The Tatreez Institute (Tatreez & Tea), a global arts education initiative she began in 2016 teaching courses in Palestinian embroidery and lecturing at leading institutions, museums and universities around the world. Wafa has since been featured in major media outlets, including Vogue Magazine, which named her and her mother “the world’s leading guardians of tatreez”. Her curatorial debut TATREEZ INHERITANCE is on view at the Museum of the Palestinian People through September, 2023.

About the Tatreez Institute

The Tatreez Institute (معهد التطريز), also known as Tatreez & Tea, is a Palestinian-led educational arts initiative focused on the preservation, documentation and research of textiles in the South West Asia & North Africa (SWANA) region. Embroidery, or tatreez (تطريز), is a centuries-old practice preserved through intergenerational exchange over a cup of tea, or shay (شاي). Inspired by generations of fiber artists, The Tatreez Institute continues the rich traditions of embroidery, textile and storytelling of Palestine, the Palestinian diaspora and Greater Syria from the United States.

About Museum of the Palestinian People

The Museum of the Palestinian People is the first museum in Washington D.C. devoted to exploring and celebrating Palestinian history, arts, and culture. It started in 2015 as a traveling exhibit, visiting over 50 locations across the country, and has now found a home in the heart of the nation’s capital. By sharing the stories of the Palestinian people with those who walk through our doors, we invite the world to discover what unites us all.

About QAIC

Founded in 2017, the Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that creates, curates, and executes programs and research that amplify the prominence of all forms of art and culture in society. QAIC cultivates artistic expression and cultural dialogue from the United States, Qatar, and the larger Arab and Islamic worlds.

[Image credit: The Tatreez Institute, Tatreez & Tea Tree of Life Workshop at Watan Studios, December 2017 ]