Boston Public Library Exhibition & Workshops
September 29, 2023
Did you miss our Artist in Residence exhibit at Piano Craft Gallery? You have another opportunity to catch it this October through February 2024 at the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square.
صنع في أمريكا (Made in USA) questions ideas of American nationalism, borders, and pride and the power of creation for healing and transformation. Reflecting on the historical and ongoing violence deeply rooted in this country, it asks: What will we continue to grow and make here? Do we have the courage to transform and stitch a new tapestry of collective liberation?
The exhibition features work by Feda Eid, The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 2023 Artist in Residence, and Teen Bridge Artists Jacob DePalm, Elian Feliz, Hajar El Ayoubi, Rose Gelin, and Marie Liza Manigat.
Picnic, أمریكافيصنع (Made in USA), 2022 by Feda Eid
Boston Public Library Exhibition
On view from October 19 - February 27
BPL’s Gallery J in the Boylston Street Building
Central Library in Copley Square
Photo Installation Pop-Up & Workshop
Saturday, December 9, 1-3 PM
PICTURE THIS! Fashioning portraits that communicate YOUR power. Join us for a workshop on Saturday, December 9, from 1-3 PM at the Boston Public Library’s Commonwealth Salon in the Boylston Street Building, the Central Library in Copley Square, to document yourself and your story with photographer Feda Eid and artists from Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts Teen Bridge program. In collaboration with the exhibition of صنع في أمريكا (Made in USA) on view from October 19 - February 27. Share your portraits online at #CraftedVisions and have the option to have your portrait archived in the Digital Commonwealth.
Celebration and Artist Talk
Saturday, December 16, 1-3 PM
Join us for a night of joyful self-expression to celebrate the last weekend of صنع في أمريكا (Made in USA) at the Boston Public Library’s Commonwealth Salon in the Boylston Street Building, the Central Library in Copley Square Saturday, December 16, 1-3 PM! There will be an artist talk and panel discussion.
In her series, صنع في أمريكا (Made in USA), Feda Eid creates self-portraits and still lifes that share the interplay of cultural expression and identity. The images are set within the backdrop of her personal experiences growing up in the so-called USA as an Arab and Muslim within a melting pot of discrimination and Islamophobia. The series points to returning to the act of creation as a healing tool. Reflecting on past and ongoing violence deeply rooted in this country, can we build liberated futures from the ideas, tools, ancestral and cultural practices that we already possess?
Over the summer Feda worked with Teen Bridge Artists from the Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts to craft their own self-portraits and portraits of community members within these themes. They collaborated with the Boston Public Library Community History team, learning how to use oral history backpacks to conduct interviews with their community members and curated excerpts to accompany the portraits. The series is on view at the BPL Central Library in Copley Square from October 19 - February 27 and will be a part of Digital Commonwealth, a state-wide archive. Self-portrait, 2023 by Rose Gelin
On December 9 from 1-3 PM, come get your portrait taken in front of a backdrop inspired by 19th century photo studios. The Boston Public Library was built in the 19th century during a period of exclusion in America. Historically, photography has been a tool few had access to and was often used to reinforce racial, class, and gender stereotypes and hierarchies. Feda invites participants to reflect on what aspects of your culture or identity do you have to assimilate or diminish in everyday life? Come dressed in an outfit that extravagantly celebrates who you are. Is there an object or item from home that is meaningful to you that you want to feature as a prop in your portrait? Bring it! Would you like to bring a friend, community, or family member to pose with you in your portrait? We encourage people to activate their imaginations to communicate their own sense of home, community, pride, and self-expression.