This intricately designed bag is woven by my grandmother in her prime days of efficient embroidery. My grandmother was one of the first members of my family to arrive to America, and she filled out paperwork for all of her children to follow. Through this connection, my mother and her siblings were able to develop successful lives and new beginnings within this new world. Within the midst of conflict between Palestine and Israel, embroidery has remained a symbolic representation of culture, especially within establishment in the new country. When my mother lived in Palestine, her and her mother used the culture of embroidery as a creative bond between them. They sold their work to women locally in their village. Upon arriving in America, my mother has used her skill of sewing and embroidery as a private business, within the Arab community in New York, my mother has extended her hobby of sewing and etching of heritage into an economic opportunity within her new home.

– BS

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant