In 2024, Narratio launched a special retrospective cohort made up of Fellows from the past five years of the program. Led by artist-in-residence Ameen Mokdad, the Fellows chose objects from The Met’s Ancient Near East Department and created poetry inspired by the memories and experiences those objects evoke. The Narratio Fellowship is the only program in the U.S. that brings together resettled refugee youth to lead conversations about displacement and culture. Over the past five years, the program has reached over 2.5 million people by supporting the creativity of 86 Fellows from more than 17 countries. Their work has been featured in exhibits, performances, and publications at places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Christie’s, the United Nations, and Harvard University. Throughout the year-long program, Fellows get support with storytelling, media skills, leadership, networking, and academics.

Partner Workshops: The MET

Metropolitan Museum staff across the Education, Object Conservation, and Ancient Near East departments held sessions with the Narratio Fellows centered on storytelling and caretaking around objects.

Staff include Sarah Graff and Kim Benzel (Ancient Near East), Anne Grady (Object Conservation), Darcy-Tell Morales (Education) Anna Serotta (Object Conservation), Emily Blumenthal (Education), and J-F Laperouse (Object Conservation).

Performances at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This year’s fellowship featured two performances at The Met: one at the Temple of Dendur and one at The André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments. Both performances featured poetry by the Narratio Fellows and music by by artist-in-residence Ameen Mokdad.