Today, December 19, 2023, is a big day for Badan. We officially turned one-years-old! This year was filled with many milestones, growth, hard work, and much love from our community. I want to thank each person who has shown us support this past year. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Studying and creating through tatreez is a rewarding task, though it isn't always easy.
It involves many sleepless nights, emotional exhaustion, and burnout that happens behind the scenes. There are days when I question my purpose, how I'm serving our community, and how best I can do so. There are hiccups along the road and many tears as witnessing the constant erasure of tatreez and of the Palestinian people adds an extra layer of difficulty. Regardless, I push through with the intention to support and uplift the Palestinian people and their crafts. We push through and keep going because our art is not just art. It is political. Art is resistance. This is why we keep going and continue to contribute to our community.
This past year, we completed projects, hit important milestones, and served the tatreez community at large in multiple ways. Let's delve into some of these together:
1. We launched a summer Tatreez Tour
In the summer of 2023, we visited over 11 states and communities including Dallas, Virginia, Chicago, Michigan, New York, and New Jersey where we taught 370 students through 14 workshops.
It is always so heartwarming visiting each community and discovering the unique characters and personalities there. Each one plays a significant role in preserving the tradition of tatreez!
2. We taught over 955 students through 36 in-person tatreez workshops across the nation.
Outside of our summer tour, we taught in-person classes on a regular basis throughout the year. This has allowed us to make tatreez a more accessible craft for the diaspora.
3. We created the Our Land Collection in collaboration with fellow creative and business owner, Hala Khalifeh.
As we designed this collection, we reflected on what tatreez meant to us. It connected us to the homeland and allowed us to imagine the possibilities of living in a world with a free Palestine. We intentionally infused these reflections into the Our Land collection to create a way for Palestinians and allies in the diaspora to connect with their roots, wear meaningful pieces, and reflect on the inevitability of a free land. Read more and explore all 7 pieces of the collection here.
The collection duration was between 3/1/2023 and 12/31/23.
4. We released 6 designs and 12 tatreez kits.
Our aim is to make tatreez more accessible to learn and practice. For those not able to participate in our workshops, we created kits that can be ordered straight to your home. Each includes all-encompassing instructions, videos, designs, and materials. The full line of our tatreez kits can be explored here.
5. We partnered with over 25 organizations, universities, community spaces, and businesses.
I am always humbled and honored to work with the backbone of our community–organizers, volunteers, and community members who put much effort into planning events with us. Without you, our work would not be complete. With each space we enter, we deepen relationships, community bonds, and knowledge of tatreez. This, is where change begins, in the small and consistent connections we make over time.
Thank you to each organizer who has hosted a workshop this year with us.
6. We planned the first ever in-person The Tatreez Retreat with fellow stitchers Lina and Amanne.
The Tatreez Retreat was a beautiful gathering of 10 stitchers from all across the nation. We gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico to stitch, participate in classes and activities, hike, and deepen our relationships with one another. When we originally planned this retreat for Oct 20-22, we had no idea we would be faced with an assault on Gaza on Oct 7 that would continue for weeks (now months). Although this retreat was enveloped with an overarching sense of heaviness, it was also incredibly healing and helped us all revitalize our energy to advocate for a free Palestine once we left our gathering.
We are currently planning another The Tatreez Retreat for 2024. Find more details and sign up here.
7. We launched our Traditional Saya Fabrics Collection.
To honor our commitment to making tatreez a more accessible practice in the diaspora, we have sourced and are offering Traditional Saya Fabric (silk and cotton blends) in our shop. Traditionally imported from Syria, these fabrics were historically used in thobes (Palestinian dresses) across many Palestinian regions. We encourage every tatreez-er today to keep these traditions thriving.
We make an intentional effort to source these fabrics from Palestine and Syria. Find all fabrics, belts, and pouches from this collection here.
Thank you for walking down memory lane with me! This year was full of everything I could have imagined and more. I sincerely appreciate every single person who has come to a class, helped organize a workshop, purchased an item from our shop, or sent me a thoughtful message over the last few months. I see it all. You help fill my cup on the good days and the hard ones. You help me keep going so I can keep doing the work we do at Badan.
From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of Badan, thank you!
With Love,
Bayan
