Nada Odeh is a Syrian artist, activist, humanitarian, and modern-day poet. She was born and raised in Damascus and lived in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before coming to the United States in 2013 due to the conflict and revolution in her home country.
She is the Founder and Director of Arabesques, a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) art and culture, and the Founder of QuartsX, a business that provides specialized art services and creative solutions for museums, galleries, and cultural institutions.
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Nada established her artistic project, Nada’s Picassos, in Damascus, later bringing it to Dubai, Michigan, and now New York State. Her work—primarily acrylics on canvas and Arabic miniatures—draws heavily on Middle Eastern colors, intricate details, and her cultural heritage. Central themes in her art include the lives of Syrian refugees, with a recent focus on displaced Syrian women in exile.
She holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from Syracuse University and a B.A. in Fine Arts from Damascus University, and has participated in numerous workshops in visual arts, communication arts, and therapeutic arts. Her exhibitions have spanned Damascus, Dubai, New York City, Detroit, Toledo, Tiffin, Washington, D.C., Syracuse, Albany, and Auburn, New York.
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As a freelance curator, Nada has led projects exploring immigration and folklore arts, collaborating with organizations such as the New York Folklore Society to highlight the traditions of immigrant and refugee communities. Through her art, curation, and activism, she continues to create meaningful cultural dialogue, support fellow artists, and foster cross-cultural understanding.