Wafa Ghnaim
Wafa Ghnaim is an American-born Palestinian businesswoman, writer, and artist. She created her artistic initiative, Tatreez & Tea, in 2015, to teach traditional Palestinian embroidery skills and preserve the meanings and stories behind each motif. Her self-published book, titled “Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora” (2018), documents the traditional patterns passed to her by her mother, award-winning Palestinian embroidery artist Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim. Tatreez & Tea has since become a global initiative that preserves and promotes the practice of Palestinian embroidery by anyone, anywhere, anytime. In 2018, Wafa was awarded the prestigious New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Traditional Arts — a once in a lifetime award for her work in preserving and teaching Palestinian embroidery around the globe. From teaching at universities around the world to becoming the first-ever Palestinian embroidery instructor at the Smithsonian Museum — Wafa Ghnaim has led a tatreez revolution; a global collective of Palestinians, allies, and artists who are committed to preserving Palestinian tatreez traditions in the diaspora. Tatreez & Tea now offers all classes and lectures 100% online. Wafa currently resides in Washington, DC.