99 Clay Vessels: The Muslim Women Storytelling Project

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In this Hopkins at Home virtual event, Dr. Homayra Ziad, Director of the Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University and Alison Kysia, multimedia artist and grassroots educator, share stories of their collaboration on 99 Clay Vessels: The Muslim Women Storytelling Project. This multimedia art and storytelling project centers stories of Muslim women activists healing from experiences of injustice during the 9/11 era. The project originated in a series of 99 pinch pots created by Alison after a sustained and painful experience of anti-Muslim bigotry. These vessels represent the 99 names of God in Islam and symbolize the diversity of all encapsulated in the One, and each of these pots also holds the story of a Muslim woman activist about injustice they have endured and transformed to nourish their work. The stories are accompanied by poetry (curated and translated by Homayra), visual art, and vocal recitation, culminating in a website which serves as an online art exhibition, healing resource, publicly accessible learning tool, and historical archive. Homayra and Alison will discuss the origins and vision of the project and how it fits into the larger goals of the Islamic Studies Program at Hopkins, to foster meaningful connections between the academic study of religion and the lived experience of religious communities, and to establish long-lasting and equitable partnerships outside the academy.