RawanWelcome to ‘The Legacy Archive’
Every painting in The Legacy Collection began with a story.
The stories my family carried across borders and generations from Iraq to America. Stories of sacrifice, faith, resilience, and finding hope even when life felt hopeless.
As I painted this collection, I kept thinking about all the families whose legacy deserves to be remembered, too.
Some stories are passed down around the dinner table. Others are captured in old photographs, handwritten letters, recipes, traditions, or memories that only a few people still carry. Too often, those stories fade with time.
That’s why I created The Legacy Archive
The Legacy Archive is a growing collection of family stories that preserves the history, heritage, and traditions of immigrants and families from around the world.
My dream is that this becomes more than an art collection but a special place where immigrants from all over the world can preserve our memories, celebrate our culture, honor those who came before us, and leave something meaningful for generations after us.
Why The Legacy Collection?
This is for my father
for all you sacrificed as a soldier, member of a Joint Tax Force, and as husband and father throughout your life as protector and leader.
For my mother,
You graciously put your trust in your husband to lead us to safety. And for your role as both mom and dad for almost all of our lives. It will never go unappreciated.
For my daughter Maya,
To help you understand where you come from, who your Jidu was, and how you can honor our culture, art, and contributions throughout your life.
And for all of my fellow immigrants,
for living between two worlds, never fitting into either, for being shamed, misunderstood, and for feeling like a piece of you is missing back home.
Iraq | Jordan | Tunisia | Austria | USA | Spain | Qatar | Puerto Rico
My favorite memories are of me sitting across from my father at our kitchen table, listening to the life he had lived, the war stories, and what Iraq was like before Saddam Hussein’s regime took over. Thinking, Wow. I can’t believe he survived all of that…and not only survived, but thrived.
I owe him and my mother my life.
I owe them Maya’s life.
They risked everything they knew to give us a life free from war, deprivation, and limits. They gave us life in America. The least I can give them is this collection.
I never got to officially record my father’s testimony and that is one of my greatest regrets.
So when my mother visited recently, I made sure to sit her down and record her story. Starting with our escape from Iraq, the places we stopped along the way, the lives we lived before we ever arrived here, all the way to our first Halloween in America (a funny story for another time).
Everyone, including me, has told her she should write a book. She loves to journal, but neither one of us are writers.
So instead, I will paint it.
As a refugee, I’ve always felt like I was living between two worlds but never fitting into either. That’s because I was still carrying pieces of home with me wherever I went.
I know that so many of you grew up feeling the same way.
This collection is for me, for you, for all of us.
Be part of the Legacy.
If this story reminds you of your own family, I’d be so honored if you shared a piece of your story in the comments below to be part of The Legacy Archive.
Maybe start with one of these thoughts:
Where does your family’s story begin? What’s one story you’ve heard over and over that you’ll never forget? Who made a sacrifice that changed your family’s future? What tradition, value, or piece of your culture do you hope lives on for generations to come?
The Legacy Archive preserves more than memories. Here, we’re preserving identity, culture, and the stories that make us who we are. One day, someone searching for their family’s history, or simply hoping to preserve it, will find this page and realize they aren’t alone.
Together, we can create a place where our legacy lives on. That place starts here.
Comment below today to enter your story into The Legacy Archive.
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With love,
[…] The Legacy Archive […]
This resonates so deeply. I often think about how to leave a trace—memories of ourselves.
Family histories get erased by the minds of next generations, and the fruits of their lives disappear. With modern trends shifting toward child-free lives, even our genes, meant to be transformed in eternity, might dissolve like pollen in the air without flowers or bees. So my art is probably the only footprint I hope will live a bit longer in eternity.
Your post makes me want to write so much. Certain stories have even begun to unfold in my own memories—it’s like a magician pulling a handkerchief from a sleeve, which pulls another and another, an endless stream of silks. I’ll probably write them down next time
Right now, I am doing my own self-exploration, uncovering memories of my grandparents, wondering by what miracle they survived famines and wars—especially since I live through war myself right now, in a frontline zone of Ukraine. As an artist, I weave this research into my new art series of collages, ‘Strange Angels’ (‘Чужі янголи’). This series is dedicated not only to my compatriots but to all people who have survived immigration, displacement, war, or found themselves in a foreign land for any other reason. You can see some of the collages on my page. I’d love to connect and welcome you to my page! 🤍”