Borderless: Beirut

About

Beirut, Lebanon is a city of many cultures that have come together and influenced each other over thousands of years. It is one of the oldest continually-inhabited cities in the world, with a diversity of unique neighborhoods rich with their own characteristic art, design, and food. It is a place where traditional craft influences cutting-edge design, and few borders exist between artisans, designers, and contemporary artists. Even after decades of war and a terrible explosion in August of 2020 that destroyed parts of the city, the resilience of the people of Beirut is evidenced by the breathtaking creativity born from its artists.

For this second iteration of our Borderless series, 18th Street Arts Center’s special membership program focused on creating connections between artist communities around the world, we focus on Beirut through a partnership with the collaborative design platform House of Today.

Founded in 2012, House of Today is a non-profit organization that identifies, nurtures, mentors, curates, showcases and connects emerging Lebanese designers to create a relationship with design experts, regionally and globally. House of Today is dedicated to the enrichment of Lebanon’s design culture.