Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Over the past 10 years, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture has emerged as one of the country's leading Arab arts organizations, featuring year-round programming with some of the finest Arab artists working today. Within a welcoming educational environment, Al-Bustan supports the Arab American community's pursuit and affirmation of its cultural identity, while playing a constructive civic role within broader American society. Recent programs presented with Center support include Words Adorned: Andalusian Poetry and Music, which premiered two new compositions by Arab American composers Kareem Roustom and Pew Fellow Kinan Abou-afach, and the Arab Music Concert Series, featuring virtuosic international guest artists making their Philadelphia debuts. In 2016, Al-Bustan received Center support to present (Dis)placed: Explorations in Poetry, Art, and Music Composition, in which four artists of Arab heritage from three disciplines will create new works that grapple with notions of displacement. In 2021, Al-Bustan received a Re:imagining Recovery grant to create a multimedia room in its West Philadelphia offices to function as a community resource, enhance the organization’s media production and online programming capacity, and create new revenue opportunities.