OPENING RECEPTION: IMPRINTS OF TIME AND PLACE

ceramics & photographs by zami

Reflections on identity, community connections, and acts of resistance

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture Gallery is pleased to present the first exhibit in our new space, featuring the work of our founder Hazami Sayed. Imprints of Time and Place is both a homecoming for Hazami (aka zami) and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Al-Bustan. The exhibit moves from photographs of youth's hopeful joy and an enduring cultural heritage, to documentation of tumultuous times. Through the tactile art of clay, zami finds solace, expressing connection through an intricate language of pattern-making.

The exhibit is comprised of four parts: Al-Bustan Camp: Youth Discovering | Lebanon: Imprints of Time in Light and Stone | Beirut to Philly: Imprints of Resistance | Clay Works: Imprints of Heritage, Links of Community

Hazami Sayed grew up between Lebanon and Kuwait and came to the U.S. to pursue higher education. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University and Master of Architecture from Columbia University. She worked in the fields of architecture and urban development in Philadelphia and New York City. For eighteen years (2002 - 2020), Hazami was the Founding Executive Director of Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture.

Since her undergraduate years, Hazami has cultivated various creative outlets, from photography to printmaking. In graduate school she gravitated to ceramics as a way to explore design, form, and function. A few years ago she rekindled her love for clay, creating functional forms that recall family rituals and draw on the textures, colors, and patterns of her home and cultural experiences. Recently, she is experimenting with the aesthetic, tactile, and sonic qualities of clay though sculptural forms.