Join us for a multi-sensory, hands-on art exhibit and unpack customized backpacks containing artifacts that tell the history of Method Road. On display at Method Community Park through April 22, 2024, the exhibit, created by artist Kulsum Tasnif, aims to bring together people from very different backgrounds and life experiences residing in the same neighborhood.
Artifacts included in the backpacks range from yearbooks to historical documents, photographs to flyers, and are all items contributed by respective communities. In addition to the art exhibit, you can learn more about Method Road on the Backpacking Method Instagram and Backpacking Method Podcast.
As part of this project, students from Al-Iman and Cardinal Gibbons High School will participate in a historic tour hosted by former Berry O’Kelly High School students at the Pioneer’s Building in Method Community Park. Students will hear stories and learn about the rich history of Method Road and Berry O’Kelly High School, told by the pioneers who built this extraordinary community.
Backpacking Method is an extension of Raleigh Stories, a public art project sponsored by Raleigh Arts.
Exhibit Details
- Date: Oct. 23, 2023, through April 22, 2024
- Location: Method Community Park, 514 Method Road, Raleigh, NC 27607
- Hours:
- Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Sunday, 1-6 p.m.
- Cost: Free and open to the public
About the Artist
Kulsum Tasnif is a mixed media artist who uses a wide range of techniques and approaches, much of which deals with social issues and how they affect the Muslim-American community to which she belongs. Kulsum completed her graduate studies in art and design from North Carolina State University in 2021 and has a bachelor’s degree in studio art and creative writing from the University of California. She spent four years recording audio voices of survivors of war from Bosnia, Syria, Burma, Afghanistan, and Somalia and illustrated their stories in her series, “Journey to The Good Life.” Other solo exhibits include “The Protest Purse,” about female strength and empowerment, and “Our Ramadan,” documenting multicultural perspectives of Muslim-Americans across the United States. Kulsum’s current work, “Backpacking Method,” is an interactive art project through Raleigh Stories (a public art project supported by Raleigh Arts), which celebrates the diverse communities of Method Road by memorializing their legacies.
