Craft Lake City is thrilled to announce the March installment of our New Americans Workshop Series in partnership with the International Rescue Committee: Collaged Paintings with Raida Jarjes! The craft workshops in the New Americans Series are taught by makers from around the globe who’ve made Utah their home due to humanitarian crises in their countries of origin. This series of six workshops, running from November 2022 through May 2023, is made possible with the support of the International Rescue Committee and funding from the Salt Lake Arts Council.
On Thursday, March 9, 2023, Raida, an Iraqi artist, poet and community organizer, will be instructing a Collaged Painting Workshop at the Craft Lake City HQ from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. In this mixed media workshop participants will learn techniques for creating a colorful, abstract painted canvas to use as a textured background for exploring the collage medium. Participants will follow Raida’s step by step process for creating a fun mixed media piece utilizing a vast array of collage materials including stickers, magazines and more. All materials will be provided for this workshop, but Raida encourages attendees to bring keepsake photos or other mementos they’d like to incorporate into their collaged painting! During the instructional session, Raida will share stories about her cultural ties to this art form & details about her growth experiences as a maker.
Purchase Tickets to Raida’s Workshop
When asked why she chose to teach this craft, Raida said, “This technique is easy and beautiful, and painting on canvas gives us a beautiful imagination. I think that the prize for any talent is to share it with others, so I like to show my talents to others and teach them to benefit [from them].” In addition to her work as an artist, Raida runs a community organization, The Leading Word Organization, dedicated to supporting other Iraqi refugees in the area. “I learned literature and art from my childhood and my business has turned into a humanitarian message.” Raida shares that her process for creating visual art and creating poetry are intrinsically linked, often taking inspiration from a painting for a new poem or vice versa. At the heart of all of Raida’s creative work is her mission to help others, “Every financial resource I get I [use to] help those who need me, from orphans, widows, displaced people and others.”
As part of this six-part series, Craft Lake City is offering three full scholarships to each workshop based on financial need. To browse our upcoming workshops and purchase tickets, visit https://craftlakecity.com/workshops/.