Jarrah – Melting Pottery

The Jarrah is a traditional clay pot and was a staple of daily, rural life in Palestine. Jarrahs were mainly used to transport water and store olive oil. Using earthenware/terracotta, Palestinians typically used the coiling technique to construct these vessels. Traditionally, women would fetch the daily water supply from nearby sources in groups, balancing the pots on their heads.

Jarrah was designed by Yasmeen Suleiman as part of the 2021 MFA On-the-Go Field Study, Melting Pottery. Melting Pottery is a project that mixes relatively new technologies with tradition and heritage. Traditionally, ceramic vessels have been used as the main way to store and trade products, thus becoming witnesses of our cultures. At VCUarts Qatar, we are a very diverse group of students and faculty. With this project, we have taken advantage of modern ways of producing pottery to allow a hybridization of cultures and aesthetics.