In June 2020 and while people were staying at home, visual artist Nada Odeh designed and created lots of color to the wall on the south end of the Munjed’s building. In July 2020! The mural progress was an attractive action in the neighborhood, engaging different pedestrians to participate, dance, and take photos of the mural!
The Middle Eastern Dream Mural:
The mural design consists of different elements. The warm colors reflect the Middle Eastern culture and memories from the land of the sun. The drawings and the religious symbols reflect the people who live and reside in the Middle East who come from different backgrounds and populations. The scenery of the city roofs and the skies can be found anywhere in the Middle East. Arabic calligraphy verse with the word “ Salam” which means peace and the Arabic calligraphy is part of a poem by Ahmed Shawqi, the Prince of Poets, it reads, Peace of the river Barada, which is a river in Damascus, Syria where artists Nada Odeh was born and raised. You can view mural progress here.
About Nada Odeh
Nada Odeh is a Syrian artist, activist, humanitarian and modern-day poet. She was both born and raised in Damascus and has lived in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and came to the USA in 2013 due to the conflict and revolution in her country. Nada got her M.A. in Museum Studies from Syracuse University. She lives and works in Syracuse, New York. She had gotten her Bachelor’s in fine arts from Damascus University. She has attended many workshops in the field of visual arts, communication arts, and therapeutic arts. Odeh has established a project commonly known as ‘Nada’s Picassos’, which had begun in Damascus but was then later moved to Dubai, Michigan, and currently New York State. The medium she works in is Acrylics on Canvases. Arabic miniatures, Middle Eastern colors, and small details of the heritage influence her artwork. The key theme on which her artwork is mainly focused is the Syrian refugees in camps and Syrian people. Recently she is focusing more on displaced Syrian women in exile. She has exhibited her art in Damascus, Dubai, New York City, Detroit, Toledo, Tiffin, Washington D.C. Syracuse, Albany, and Auburn, New York.
Nada Odeh is a freelance curator who had the opportunity to curate different projects on the topic of immigration and folklore arts. She worked with the New York Folklore Society on different projects to highlight immigrants’ and refugees’ folklore arts.