Tatreez Circle with Joanna Barakat
18 October 2026
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Join us for another season of the popular Tatreez Circle with Joanna Barakat, a gathering where makers come together to embroider meaningful motifs and connect through the shared practice of stitching.
Participants are asked to bring their own embroidery projects and supplies.
Open to ages 18 and above
Basic knowledge of tatreez is required.
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The Localized Futures: Cities & Communities
20 October 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
A community is more than just a place on a map; it is a shared space of cultural life, public infrastructure, and collective action. This discussion investigates the rapid evolution of cities and communities in the region, focusing on how design, infrastructure, and grassroots initiatives intersect to create resilient, vibrant, and culturally rich urban environments.
No prior experience required.
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Constructing the Invisible City with Nanelle Jayawardene
24 October 2026
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
It’s time to look at public space beyond streets and buildings. Instead, Constructing the Invisible City is a studio seminar that invites you to explore public space as a place shaped by culture, memory, and social habits.
No prior experience required.
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Performance as is, Performing with Yoonsik Chico Park
25 October 2026
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Performance as is, Performing with Yoonsik Chico Park moves from thinking about performance to thinking through it—using the body, space, gesture, and relationality as sites for inquiry. Building on our first Maktaba session’s exploration of performance studies, this seminar invites participants to collectively examine how theories of performance can be tested and embodied.
No prior experience is required.
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Saloua Choucair’s Interlocking forms with Zara Peters
25 October 2026
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
In this hands-on family workshop inspired by the sculptural practice of Saloua Choucair, young participants will create their own sculptures inspired by the artist's visual language. Drawing from Choucair’s use of a restricted color palette and her abstract forms, participants will paint and assemble nine individual cardboard jigsaw pieces, inspired by her Poem of Nine Verses, to create their own sculptural compositions.
Suitable for children ages 6+ and families.
No prior experience required.
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The Localized Futures: The Arts
27 October 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Join us for The Localized Futures: Conversations, a series of panel discussions presented in collaboration with afikra. Across four sessions on Collective Heritage, Cities & Communities, Education, and The Arts, the series brings together institutional leaders, policy shapers, and cultural pioneers to spotlight the people actively building these futures today.
No prior experience required.
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Frankenstein with The Bookclub
31 October 2026
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
This moderated public discussion of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, brings together readers and literary enthusiasts and invites participants to reflect on the novel's enduring themes: creation, responsibility, ethics, identity, and the relationship between humanity and technology.
Open to ages 18+
No prior experience required.
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The Public Lecture: Anatomy of Gatherings with Nanelle Jayawardene
5 November 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Join us for The Public Lecture: Anatomy of Gatherings, a visual talk led by artist and architect Nanelle Jayawardene.
The Public Lecture brings audiences into conversation with ideas, questions, and themes that intersect with contemporary art and the world around it. Through encounters with artists, researchers, academics, writers, practitioners, and other interlocutors, the program opens space for critical exchange, collective inquiry, and the sharing of knowledge—extending 421’s role as a site for learning and discovery beyond its campus walls.
No prior experience required.
Open to all
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Everything Is Whimsical: A Creative Workout with Mouza Al Hamrani
22 November 2026
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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Everything Is Whimsical is a creative workout designed to bring the fun back into art-making. Led by illustrator and multimedia artist Mouza Al Hamrani, the session is built on a simple idea: art doesn't have to be serious to be good, and giving yourself permission to make something odd, just because you enjoy making it, might be exactly what your practice needs. |
Open to ages 18+
No prior experience required.
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Between Two Tongues: بين لغتين: لسان عربي وقلم افرنجي with Maryam Al Dabbagh
27 November 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
This Majlis invites participants into an informal and reflective exploration of translation, language, and the anxieties that emerge when navigating the spaces between words, meanings, and mother tongues.
Open to all.
No prior experience required.
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Tatreez Circle with Joanna Barakat
6 December 2026
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Join us for another season of the popular Tatreez Circle with Joanna Barakat, a gathering where makers come together to embroider meaningful motifs and connect through the shared practice of stitching.
Participants are asked to bring their own embroidery projects and supplies.
Open to ages 18 and above
Basic knowledge of tatreez is required.
See more
The Traditional Weaving of Al Sadu: Keychains and Bracelets with Sawada Alkhyeli
13 December 2026
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Spend an afternoon with renowned artisan Sawada El Kheyeli, discovering the timeless art of Al Sadu weaving together.
Suitable for children ages 10+ and families.
No prior experience required.
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