Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim: A Celebration of Palestinian Embroidery

An exhibition curated by her daughters

“Embroidery is my life. I am Palestinian, and this my identity. I embroider and it is something connected to my heart from when I was a little girl. It feels that it is my obligation to teach [my daughters], because they are away from their homeland. If nobody teaches them, it will be lost. I feel I have to do something to show who I am. This will show who I am. With this art—our tradition—I feel that I am doing my duty that my mother and grandmother did with me.”

-Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim

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 through tatreez. Every stitch bridges home and homeland, threading stories of identity 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 will be held at the SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center, 2942 NE MLK Jr Blvd, Portland, Oregon, from June 26 to 29, 2025.

Exhibition Program Schedule

Thursday, June 26
Birthday Party (Private Invitation Only)
6:00–8:00 PM

Friday, June 27
Opening Night (Private Invitation Only)
6:00–8:00 PM

Saturday, June 28
Public Viewing Hours (Open to the Public)
1:00-7:00 PM
No registration required, entry with donation

Sunday, June 29
Curator Tour (Open to the Public)
12:00–2:00 PM
Registration required, click here.

Stitching Circle (Open to the Public)
2:30–4:30 PM
Registration required, click here.

Public Viewing Hours
4:30-8:00 PM
No registration required, entry with donation

Mask Policy: We kindly require all visitors to wear a mask while attending events at SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center, in keeping with the center’s health and safety guidelines. People may briefly lower their masks indoors between sips and bites. Small children who are unable to wear a mask are still warmly welcome. We appreciate your understanding.