In a room full of sketches and collages, students gathered for an evening of artmaking for “Imagining a Free Palestine.”
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Carleton Visual Arts Club hosted the event in Southam Hall on Thursday.
“Art, especially for people in exile or for oppressed people, is a way we can reclaim our agency in a world that tries to erase us,” said Reida Khadour, a SJP executive member. “Resistance comes in many ways, and we all have a role in the fight for a liberated Palestine.”
The session in Southam Hall invited attendees to explore the intersection of art, education and social justice through collaborative work inspired by Palestinian symbols and storytelling. Tables covered in paint and scattered sketches of Palestinian symbols filled the room as students created collages with printed images and handwritten messages.
Jocelyn Deng, co-president of the Carleton Visual Arts Club, said imagination plays a critical role in activism.
“Being able to imagine the future, especially with guidance from the affected people — in this case, Palestinians — is really important for centering yourself and being able to keep moving forward,” she said. “Imagining is labor in itself. Doing it together makes it more powerful; it’s together that we can move mountains.”
She said she was inspired by a social media post from Bisan Owda, a journalist in Gaza, who explained the symbolism behind a mural depicting an elderly Palestinian man cradling a cactus — a native plant with cultural meaning.
“We’ve heard about the watermelon and the sunbird,” she said. “But this was a Palestinian symbol I hadn’t heard about. It made me want to learn — what are the others? What else is there?”
The theme “Imagining a Free Palestine” was intended to explore how “everyone envisions what a liberated Palestine would look like,” Nada Shubair, SJP president, said.
“It’s a way to express our values and imagine what daily life could look like without oppression,” she said.
Art offers an accessible entry point into complex political realities, Deng added.
“Art is a different form of storytelling — sometimes without words, sometimes with text. It stores stories,” she said. “It made me research more and find resources that don’t get shared mainstream.”
For attendees, such events offer a pause from academic pressures and a chance to connect with others.
Kit Deivanayagam, a second-year multimedia and design student at Carleton, said creating art in the community helps counter feelings of helplessness.
“You’re scrolling on Instagram and you see a random meme, and then suddenly you’re seeing people being massacred,” she said. “It breeds apathy. You get desensitized and you feel helpless — like there’s nothing you can do.
“Coming together reminds you there are other people who care and who are contributing to something positive.”
Art can serve as a tool for organization and world-building, highlighting the power of creative expression, Deivanayagam said.
“There’s a reason art and writing are some of the first things they stop from being spread,” she said. “Imagination is important because your creativity can fuel change — even if it’s just a ripple.”
As students sketched, painted and discussed different themes of art, they said they reflected on how these issues intersect with broader histories and systems.
“It all connects — how free Palestine connects with Land Back on Turtle Island, how it connects to histories of colonization, how it connects to our education system,” Deng said. “It can feel overwhelming, but when you recognize the patterns, you feel more ready to navigate the world.”
Khadour said holding on to hope is essential amid ongoing violence and grief.
“It’s easy to lose sight of what we’re fighting for when we’re drowning in tragedy and constant news cycles,” Khadour said. “Imagining the future reminds us why we continue.”
Featured image by Lazourd Al Nashed/the Charlatan
This article, and all of the Charlatan’s work, is brought to you by an independent student newspaper dedicated to informing, uplifting and entertaining the Carleton University community. We are a levy-funded organization which plays a role in the broader, vibrant student culture on campus. By reading this article, you are supporting our efforts.
