purpose
Oct. 15, 2020 10:45 am
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture champions civic engagement through art
"Representation matters and the origination of civically engaged art by Arabs, BIPOC, and community-based organizations is critical to shaping the future of our neighborhoods," says Hazami Sayed.
method
Sep. 19, 2018 12:45 pm
Al-Bustan is growing a pocket park on 40th Street with the help of a diverse community
The Arab arts and culture nonprofit is leading the development of a lot between Ludlow and Chestnut streets to create an inviting space for anyone and everyone via public events, cultural programming and art making.
purpose
Sep. 8, 2017 11:25 am
Penn Museum hopes 2,379 miniature boats will remind of the cultural heritage at stake in Syria
Syrian-born artist Issam Kourbaj needs help to build all those boats in an upcoming community art event on Sept. 17, which will mark 2,379 days that have passed since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.
purpose
Aug. 3, 2017 9:26 am
Tickets are now on sale for the first-ever YallaPunk music and culture festival
But the three-day event set to start Sept. 1 is still looking for funding to make the fully scheduled programming a reality.
purpose
Jun. 23, 2017 12:46 pm
This Arab culture fest came from a DIY, punk rock mindset
Rana Fayez is creating YallaPunk, an annual festival and conference in Philly, to "showcase the creative side of Arabs, Persians and MENA individuals."
people
Feb. 15, 2017 12:49 pm
These are the daily challenges local refugee families are working to overcome
Employment, housing and education are immediate barriers for refugee families, not to mention language and adapting to American cultural norms.
method
Feb. 10, 2017 12:57 pm
Al-Bustan’s (Dis)Placed project is navigating a crucial moment in history
The Pew-funded project will use art to tie together narratives of displacement in the Middle East and Philadelphia, but the travel ban has proven to be a bump in the road for one of its artist residents.
purpose
Jan. 18, 2017 7:38 am
The marginalized artist and the pressures of representing an underrepresented culture
Cultural equity is a challenge, but Saudi filmmaker Hamzah Jamjoom's biggest obstacle was his own ego.
results
Jan. 17, 2017 7:48 am
Heidi Saman’s ‘Namour’ will be distributed by Ava DuVernay’s film collective
Saman's film, a dramedy centered around an Arab-American family in L.A., was screened at BlackStar this past summer. Now it will be in theaters and Netflix March 15.
results
Dec. 29, 2016 12:14 pm
5 stories we fawned over in 2016
The stories we're most proud of from the past year.