Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group Reception

The Watertown Citizens Refugee Support Group will host a reception for artist Samera Birawi. See her art in the  T. Ross Kelly Family Gallery at Watertown Free Public Library throughout the month of June.

About the Artist, Samera Birawi

Born in Idlib, Syria, Samera Birawi is a Syrian artist who now resides in Turkey with her children. Samera began drawing at a young age and participated in art exhibitions in school. As she grew older, she studied other forms of art, including painting, interior decorating, fashion, sewing, and embroidery, and soon became an art teacher in Idlib’s middle school and high school.

After getting married, she moved to Damascus and continued teaching art in schools throughout the city. Her art has been featured in exhibitions in Damascus and across Syria, earning awards for her work.

In 2012, Samera and her family were forced to flee to Turkey after the regime bombed her hometown in the suburbs of Damascus, destroying the town square, mosque, and shops near her home. Samera and her family left everything behind—their home, friends, family, work, and all the memories they had built together.

In Turkey, Samera began painting to portray the pain and suffering of the Syrian people, hoping to uplift and share their experiences with the world. Her oil color paintings have been featured on book covers and displayed across Turkey, most recently at an international festival in Istanbul where she received several certificates of thanks and appreciation.