1-3 p.m. ET Saturday, October 21, 2023 AND Saturday, November 4, 2023
Pattern-Making Workshop Series with Doris Bittar
In-person at AANM
FREE with RSVP
Join us with artist-in-residence Doris Bittar for a workshop series exploring pattern-making. In response to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe facing our Palestinian siblings in Gaza right now, we are shifting the focus of this workshop to “pattern as empowerment,” something we all need right now as we construct our futures.
The first workshop, on October 21, will explore Pattern as Empowerment. We will be creating patterns derived from pencil drawings of ordinary objects. Repeating the design from the object onto a square-based grid entails several steps. This will take two hours to form the basis for further exploration and innovation.
The second workshop, on November 4, will explore Pattern as Path. Our pencil drawings will be carefully examined with the intent of disrupting the square-based grid and seeking pathways throughout. Coloring the new designs will reveal possibilities for pattern as path. Color will be an important factor in how movement is perceived. A short tutorial on color practices will also be explored. Color may be in collage and/or paint.
Participants are not required to have any artistic background, but those who do will have opportunities to use their skills. Light refreshments will be served.
Doris Bittar’s interdisciplinary art maps and explores migratory patterns that overlap national boundaries. She names her historically derived and migration patterns a form of “cultural DNA” as an invitation for interactive participation. Originally from Lebanon, Bittar received a BFA at the State University of New York and an MFA from the University of California San Diego where she has lived for three decades. She taught at the University of California San Diego, California State University San Marcos, and the American University of Beirut over a 25-year period and is a published writer on art and politics. With over 20 solo exhibitions, Bittar’s art has been in several prominent group exhibits including biennales in Europe and the Arab world. Housed in several public collections in the United States and abroad, she received awards and residencies at the Sharjah Biennial, Alexandria Biennial of Mediterranean Countries, Berlin-Stuttgart ifa gallery, Ravenna, Venice Biennale, and New York’s Alternative Museum, among others. Bittar is a core member of Gulf Labor and founded several nonprofits to promote Arab American community aspirations in Southern California. Bittar maintains the House of Palestine display in Balboa Park, has aided Syrian refugees in learning English as a second language, and is the founder of Protea Gallery, a nonprofit to promote Arab American art. www.dorisbittar.com
This project is made possible in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
With support from
