When I went to college back in the early 2000s (oh my god it’s been 20 years) my two main criteria for selecting an art school were Location (in a large city) and Options - I knew I wanted to study art first and foremost, but I had (have) a myriad of other interests and planned to go for a minor in a history/political science-related field, essentially “for fun.”

I eventually landed at the University of Washington in Seattle, and as my side interest on the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department. I also met my dear friend and former roommate Sammie, a first generation Iranian American, in our first year dormitory.

I took classes focusing mostly on the cultural history of Islam and the Middle East, and likely would have ended up in Arabic classes had I not met Sammie and been exposed to her family and culture. Being away from home in a brand new state, she immediately welcomed me and our other roommates into her large family and included us in her family celebrations and traditions.

I ended up taking two years of Farsi as part of my minor and truly enjoyed the Persian language department and the academic culture there. (it was filled with first-generation and other Persian students looking to reconnect with their mother language, vs the Arabic department that had very Department of Defense vibes. Shout out to the fantastic professor I had, a fellow Massachusetts native who came to the Farsi language in a similar fashion and is one of the most kind and patient teachers I have ever had.)

One of the most important traditions Sammie and her family shared with us was the celebration of the new year, Nowruz.

I got very familiar with the beautiful Haft Sin altars made at the start of every Spring, the symbolic number and name of items carefully cultivated and arranged to usher in prosperity and renewal. It is a beautiful tradition that I fondly remember and celebrate with my husband yearly with a large Persian food feast.

So when Sammie recently asked me to create a play set she could use to teach her two young children about Nowruz and the Haft Sin altars, I felt both incredibly honored and committed to getting it just right.

The resulting set is a culmination of about 3 months of work, done in spare time alongside other work and commissions. There are 15 total pieces, mostly hand-sewn and stuffed felt and a few pieces done in crochet.

On the bottom of each piece I embroidered the name in Farsi to help Sammie teach her kids the language.

It means so much to me to have created something so unique and special that will help sammie pass on her beautiful persian culture to her kids. i feel so lucky to have learned so much from her and to carry with me the memories of time spent with her family on many nowruzes past.

as we move forward into a time when anti-muslim and anti-middle eastern hatred is ever growing, i wish that everyone will embrace curiosity over fear when encountering different people and different cultures, and be open to the incredible knowledge and experiences that can be had when you do.