Queen inaugurates JRF’s 21st annual handicraft exhibition

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania inaugurated the Jordan River Foundation’s (JRF) 21st annual handicraft exhibition, titled “Dahnoun”, at the foundation’s main showroom in Jabal Amman on Monday.

JRF Director General Enaam Barrishi accompanied Her Majesty while touring the exhibition and viewing the handmade items on display, according to a statement from the Queen’s office.

“The exhibition displays modern designs and intricate handicrafts produced at JRF’s various workshops and centres, and handmade by women from the villages of Bani Hamidah and Wadi Al Rayyan, as well as the Jabal Al Natheef neighbourhood of Amman,” the statement said. 

“The exhibition is an opportunity to highlight and showcase the products made by beneficiaries in JRF’s areas of operation,” it added.

This year’s exhibition celebrates the red wildflower that blooms across Jordan in the early weeks of spring. It is referred to as poppy in English and is known as “shaqaeq al numan” or “dahnoun” in Arabic.

The exhibition displays three collections of handicrafts.

The “City Heritage Collection” combines the art of hand-stitched embroidery with photography using mixed media techniques. 

The “Calligraphy Collection” incorporates positive messages and traditional children’s songs embroidered and printed in Arabic on a variety of products, including home furnishings, cushions, glasses, notebooks, candles and wall hangings.

The “Jury and Kirdan Collection” — meaning “rosebuds and necklaces” — is “a unique take on elegant pieces that combine Jordan’s nature, represented by the rose buds, and traditional necklaces worn by older Jordanian women”, according to the statement. 

The pieces are created using the filling and Palestinian embroidery techniques.

Foreign ambassadors, JRF board members and beneficiaries, donors and guests of the local designers attended the opening ceremony.

The exhibition also marked the introduction of JRF’s new e-commerce website (www.jordanriverdesigns.com), which Her Majesty officially launched during the event, according to the statement. 

The website will allow international shoppers to buy JRF handicrafts online and have them shipped anywhere in the world.

The JRF’s 21st annual handicraft exhibition is currently on display at the foundation’s showroom on Jabal Amman’s Rainbow Street.