Interdisciplinary and award winning artist Doris Bittar explores overlapping patterns, decorative motifs and text within the context of historical legacies. Bittar views patterns as cultural DNA mutating in tandem with human migration. Bittar, an Artist Legacy awardee by the California Arts Council, has been recognized for artistic accomplishments and mentoring of young artists (2023). She participated in residencies affiliated with biennials in Venice Biennale, Alexandria, Egypt, and Sharjah, along with projects in Berlin, Stuttgart, Ravenna. She was a resident of the Arab American National Museum in 2023 coinciding with a solo exhibit from November 9, 2023 into June 9, 2024. Bittar is a founding member of Gulf Labor, participant in ArabAmp, and Public Address. Born in Baghdad to Lebanese and Palestinian parents, Bittar’s family immigrated to the United States from Beirut when she was a child. Bittar has a BFA from the State University of New York and an MFA from the University of California San Diego.
Bittar’s published writings range from art criticism and how to “read” Arabic calligraphy to civil rights issues nationally and internationally. She is a lifelong activist and founder of three nonprofits ranging from exhibits on labor solidarity to English as a Second Language for Syrian refugees. Bittar taught for 25 years at various universities in Southern California and was a visiting scholar at NYU in 2017.
Get in touch!
Interview with the artist HERE