All MAM programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and Museum members.
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“Art...possesses the capacity to bridge divides and foster empathy. I firmly believe that my artistic endeavors contribute to creating a deeper understanding, appreciation, and compassion for my Palestinian people.” — Samar Husseini
This exhibition celebrates the personal and artistic journeys of Samar Husseini, a first-generation Palestinian American artist living in West Orange, New Jersey. Her colorful, abstract, and intricately detailed artwork honors the memory, longing, and family that represent her cultural heritage.
Works in this exhibition include a range of mediums—paintings on canvas, textiles, and sculptural dresses, including new works on display for the first time. Husseini's cultural traditions are reflected in intricate stitching, tatreez-pattern embroidery, and image transfers. Her unique mixed-media process uses abstract fields of color as expressions of land and belonging. These techniques bridge traditional Palestinian craft and contemporary practice, to speak to ways in which the Palestinian diaspora affects identity. Together, these works invite us to consider how culture is remembered, carried forward, and made visible—and how threads of heritage can connect us to people, places, and histories.
Samar Husseini: Identity in Paint and Thread is curated by Leah Fox, Director, Vance Wall Art Education Center, and Celene Ryan, Assistant Director, Community and Access Programs.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Samar Husseini
Samar Husseini (born 1970) is a New Jersey-based artist known for her captivating artwork that blends various layers of mediums and techniques to push the boundaries of mixed-media fine art painting.
She earned a BFA in Art History and Studio Arts from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in communication design from Pratt Institute in New York. Following a successful career in design that earned her multiple awards in advertising, Husseini returned to fine art practice.
She has since earned several awards, including the Innovative Fine Art Award from the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in New York.
In 2022, Husseini gained international recognition through her participation in the 59th Venice Biennale exhibit, From Palestine with Love, sponsored by the Palestine Museum. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, group shows, and solo exhibitions in the United States and internationally.