2026 Mizna Distinguished Lecture: Wafa Ghnaim

Minneapolis Central Library, Second Floor, Pohlad Hall 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401 Mizna launches the Mizna Distinguished Lecture Series, recognizing cultural workers from Southwest Asia/North Africa and the diaspora who contribute critical and deeply considered research and practice to the contemporary scene. For our first lecturer, Mizna welcomes Wafa Ghnaim, art and dress historian, fashion researcher, embroiderer, educator, and the founder of the Tatreez Institute, specializing in Southwest Asian traditional dress and embroidery. MORE INFORMATION HERE Join us for the lecture October 18, 2026 at 1:30pm in Pohland Hall, located on the second floor of the Minneapolis Central Library. Following the lecture, Mizna and Wafa Ghnaim will host an hour-long Textile Arts Circle for 40 confirmed guests. More information below. RSVP REQUIRED FOR BOTH EVENTS, LEARN MORE + RSVP BELOW Support for the Mizna Distinguished Lecture Series is led by Dr. Nora Ali and Mr. Fuad Hannon. Until the mid-twentieth century, the dress of the Palestinian people was descriptive of identity; first by societal segment (city dweller, villager, or nomad), and then by the region from which the wearer came. Within each regional style, finer distinctions in women’s dress (thobe) were expressed that conveyed the maker’s life and the natural world around her. Palestinian women recorded their identity in their thobe with embroidery (tatreez) through a shared illustrative language of embroidered patterns, stitching techniques, and thread colors. The thobe records unwritten stories and serves as a visual register of collective and individual identities, documenting a woman’s town, village, or tribe, her marital status, her familial lineage, and the material impact of colonialism, occupation, war, and exile. Audiences have the opportunity to request the region of Palestine they are most interested in learning about, and Ghnaim will discuss the fundamentals of Palestinian dress history and styles of five of these regions. To make a request, follow this link. Requests must be submitted by September 15, 2026. Regions include: Bethlehem Region; Jerusalem Region; Ramallah Region; Yaffa Region; Historic Gaza Region; Lower Coastal Plain, Al Naqab, Bir Saba, and Southern Palestine Bedouin Regions; Galilee Region, including Nazareth, Safad, Acre, and surrounding areas; Central Region, including Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, Tulkarm, and surrounding areas; Al Khalil (Hebron) Region; Jericho and the Dead Sea; Lake Huleh; South Gaza and North Sinai Peninsula Bedouin Regions Following the lecture, Mizna and Wafa Ghnaim will host an hour-long Textile Arts Circle for 40 confirmed guests. RSVPS are required. Bring a sewing, knitting, or embroidery project that you are working on, although it is not required. This is a social gathering and there will be no instruction. Drinks and tastes will be provided. Audiences can RSVP for the Textile Arts Circle here