RECLAIMING OUR COLLECTIVE INHERITANCE: A Palestinian Diaspora Collection. Exhibition Catalog

16 Page catalog from Ebtisam "Ebby" El-Sharkawy's  exhibition at ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse, NY.

The Palestinian Thobe is more than an embroidered garment—it is a living archive. For Palestinians in the diaspora, these intricately stitched dresses are tangible connections to a homeland many have never seen, yet fiercely carry within them. Each motif tells a story—of identity, ancestral village, and unbroken resilience. Tragically, many Thobes have been lost to time, war, and dispossession—from heirloom dresses smuggled out of Palestine to stolen Thobes rediscovered in antique markets, their narratives preserved only in the whispers of fading thread.

This exhibit, Reclaiming Our Collective Inheritance, is both a memorial and a call to action: to rescue, preserve, remember, and honor the hands that embroidered them. More than fabric, these Thobes weave memory and return into every stitch. This is more than an exhibit—it is a reclamation. An act of cultural preservation which ensures that this art form, and the Palestinian narrative itself, remains alive for future generations. Will you help carry these threads into the future?