Traveling Mural
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The traveling mural is inspired by the travels of William Seward‘s to the Middle East and the journey of Nada Odeh coming to the United States. Nada was looking for things that remind her of home and the Middle Eastern cultures in Upstate New York ; she found them at the Seward House museum collection, the Ottoman Firman who William Seward brought back to the USA when he came back from his travels in the Middle East. The connection between Nada’s Travels and Seward’s travels is about exploring and bringing peace to places they visit and land at.
Nada conducted two art workshops at the Equal Rights Heritage Center. As a result, she designed the mural that represents Arabic calligraphy and vegetal art in a modern way inspired by the ideas and the designs of the local community through the workshops. The mural represents the travels of William Seward in the Middle East and the Turkish / Ottoman Firman that was given to William Seward by the Ottoman Sultan as a document to allow him to travel peacefully in Middle Eastern cities. The Arabic calligraphy in the mural is a translation of a quote that was written by a young participant in the workshops “ If you don't struggle, that means your dream isn't big enough”