Philadelphia is a very diverse community, with a lot of different backgrounds coming together and sharing their cultures with one another. One of the most prominent identities in the city is those from Arab and Middle Eastern countries. However, centers that foster a community and bring everyone who identifies with the background together are rare in the city. Except for Al-Bustan.
The community center, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, is an Arab cultural center that was created based on the arts, language, and customs of the Arab identity. The center offers a wide array of resources and events that boost the community and emphasize the beauty of the culture.
Al-Bustan offers art classes, educational programs, after-school programs, Arabic language classes for all ages, music events and shows, and a space for other groups to come and hold events. Al-Bustan creates a space for diversity and for sharing the MENA culture with other communities. They bring the traditions and identities of Arabs from their homeland over to the United States and start conversations to support the different facets of the creative endeavors of Arabs in the city.
Al-Bustan also prides itself on heightening the attention around Arab arts and bringing in a wider audience. They bring together the people and celebrate the Arab American people, elaborating on their experiences through media and writings. Fostering an inclusive staffing environment with members from different Arab and Middle Eastern backgrounds also ensures that the most diverse experiences are included. Mostafa Darwish, the education manager at Al-Bustan, emphasized their efforts to try and include as much representation as possible from the SWANA area – Southwest Asian and North African backgrounds.
Currently, Al-Bustan is holding an exhibition titled ‘Storyburst,’ curated by Saria Rosenhaj, a Philadelphia-based writer and artist. Saria is also the art instructor at the center’s after-school arts program at the John Moffet School and the Samuel Powel School. The exhibit tells stories through different mediums – painting, drawings, sculptures, etc. Inspired by artists like Omar Atta and Diana Al-Hadid, the children created stories based on Arabic folktales.
One of the features of the exhibit is titled ‘The Arabic Quilt’ and is made up of multiple individual pieces drawn by the students. On each square of the quilt, students were tasked with drawing the first letter of their name in Arabic in colorful and creative ways. The pieces were put together to create a continuous design. The exhibit was inspired by the picture book of the same title by Aya Khalil and Anait Semirdzhyan. The story follows an Egyptian-American girl who has just moved cities and the difficulties she faces with embracing her culture and being accepted.
Another feature of the show was the ‘Beings of Myth and Legend,’ which was made up of sculpted figurines. The show takes characters from ancient Arab legends, such as the Phoenix from Egyptian folklore, who is believed to be the chosen bird of the Sun. There is also the Jinn, who are powerful things that live among us but cannot be seen by the human eye. These stories are known across regions and countries in the Middle East and can share the same plots despite different names and titles. In addition to this myth, the students took a look at many stories and creatures and sculpted the characters based on their interpretations.
The exhibit is open for the next month and can be viewed at the Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture Center in Philadelphia.
