Zawiyati — Moroccan Cultural Arts Workshops & Educator Professional Development

Creating Meaningful Connections

Through Moroccan Art & Culture

Zawiyati brings hands-on Moroccan cultural experiences, from mosaic and weaving to calligraphy, tea culture, and traditional dress, into classrooms, libraries, and communities.

Every session is built around the same simple structure: a cultural introduction, a guided hands-on activity with authentic materials from Morocco, and time to connect what was learned to participants' own lives, classrooms, or communities.

“We bring the timeless beauty of Moroccan traditions through art, storytelling, and meaningful human connection.”

Our Programs

Cultural Arts Workshops

Choose a single 60–90 minute session or a multi-visit residency, with a different workshop topic each visit. We tailor every workshop to the age group in the room, from upper-elementary through adults.

Moroccan mint tea served on a traditional tray with sugar and dates

Ornate Moroccan silver teapot with hamsa-pattern tea glasses

Savor

Moroccan Mint Tea

Discover the central role of mint tea in Moroccan hospitality, daily life, and social gatherings. Following a brief introduction to its history, customs, and cultural significance, participants enjoy either a traditional tea-making demonstration followed by a tasting, or a hands-on experience in which they prepare their own Moroccan mint tea — depending on the workshop format.

60–90 minutesGrades 3+World Languages & history

Hands assembling a Moroccan zellige mosaic coaster

Student placing zellige tiles onto a mosaic coaster

Create

Moroccan Zellige Mosaic

History you can hold.

Discover the history and artistry of Moroccan zellige, a centuries-old mosaic tradition that has adorned palaces, mosques, fountains, and homes throughout Morocco. Following a brief introduction to its craftsmanship, patterns, and cultural significance, participants create their own mosaic coaster using handmade zellige tiles from Morocco.

90 minutesUp to 30 studentsMiddle & High School

Connects to curriculum: Design Principles · Geometry & Pattern · Craftsmanship · Global Art · Cultural Literacy

Piles of naturally dyed Moroccan wool yarn at a market stall

Finished woven textile square held up by two hands

Weave

Moroccan Weaving

Discover the rich tradition of Moroccan weaving, where generations of artisans have transformed wool into beautifully crafted textiles using techniques passed down through the centuries and natural dyes derived from local plants and minerals. After a brief introduction to Moroccan weaving traditions and craftsmanship, participants weave and take home their own textile square using yarn brought directly from Morocco.

2 hoursHigh SchoolFiber arts & heritage

Close-up of Arabic calligraphy with a reed pen

Instructor teaching a student Arabic calligraphy styles at a chalkboard

Design

Arabic Calligraphy

Discover the beauty and cultural significance of Arabic calligraphy, an art form celebrated for its elegance, craftsmanship, and enduring artistic legacy. Following a brief introduction to its history, styles, and artistic expression, participants create a framed artwork using a traditional reed pen and ink, featuring a meaningful Arabic word complemented by traditional Moroccan decorative motifs.

60–90 minutesGrades 4+Visual Arts & World Languages

Traditional Moroccan headdresses and embroidery

Discover

Moroccan Fashion & Traditional Dress

Discover the beauty and diversity of Moroccan traditional dress through an immersive fashion experience where clothing and storytelling come together to celebrate Morocco's rich regional traditions. Following a brief introduction to distinctive styles, textiles, jewelry, and their cultural meanings, participants enjoy an interactive fashion show while uncovering the stories, customs, and unexpected connections between Moroccan heritage and the wider world.

60–90 minutesGrades 3+World Cultures & identity

For Schools & Districts

Bring Zawiyati to Your Campus or District

Zawiyati partners with schools, districts, and libraries to deliver single-session assemblies, classroom residencies, family cultural nights, and multi-day artist-in-residence programs. We're based in North Texas, traveling statewide and beyond for the right program.

Every program is planned around your group's size, grade level, and goals, and pairs hands-on cultural artistry with real historical and geographic context — not just a craft, but a genuine cultural learning experience.

Get in Touch

Program formats

Single assembly or classroom session (60–90 minutes)
Multi-classroom or grade-level rotation days
Multi-day artist-in-residence programs
Family & community cultural nights
Educator professional development (see below)

Example: Moroccan Zellige Mosaic Workshop

History you can hold. 90 minutes · up to 30 students · everything included. Every session begins with the story behind the pattern, then puts centuries of Moroccan craftsmanship directly in students' hands.

Connects to curriculum: Design Principles, Geometry & Pattern, Craftsmanship, Global Art, Cultural Literacy · Middle & High School

Pricing is based on workshop type, session length, and number of sessions booked — we respond to every quote request within two business days.

Teach Global Art with Cultural Depth

Professional Development & CPE

Global art experiences rooted in Morocco and the wider MENA region, customized for your school or district. Zawiyati brings hands-on, make-and-take professional development directly to your campus — helping art educators (and world language, ESL, and social studies teachers) explore authentic materials, artistic traditions, and classroom-ready ideas.

Every session pairs the same hands-on cultural experience your students would receive with an explicit, standards-aligned learning objective and a classroom-application activity — teachers leave with a lesson-plan draft, not just a finished craft.

Why Districts Choose Zawiyati

Texas CPE provider registration in progress
Sessions range from a 3-hour workshop to a full day, or a two-day intensive
We come to you — statewide travel across Texas and beyond
Customizable for schools & districts of any size
Classroom-ready resources educators leave with
Authentic materials sourced directly from Morocco
Clear curriculum connections for every session

Zawiyati's registration as a Texas Education Agency Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider is currently in progress. Reach out to be notified as soon as registration is complete, or to schedule a session now.

Zawiyati also leads the Artisan Immersion Program — custom trips to Morocco for cohorts of educators, a separate offering from CPE. Learn more below.

What an educator PD session includes

A cultural & historical introduction to the workshop topic
A guided hands-on activity with authentic Moroccan materials
An explicit, standards-aligned learning objective
A classroom-application segment — teachers draft their own mini-lesson
A certificate of attendance documenting clock hours and content

Possible focus areas include Moroccan zellige mosaic, weaving, Arabic calligraphy, and other culturally grounded art experiences from Morocco and the MENA region.

Inquire About Educator PD

For Schools & Districts

The Artisan Immersion Program

A custom-built trip to Morocco for your art educators, exploring Moroccan culture through art, from working artisan studios to the country's iconic architectural monuments.

Ornate carved archway and tiled courtyard at a traditional Fez riad

Close-up of handmade zellige mosaic tilework on a column in Fez

A minaret framed by carved muqarnas archway at a historic Fez madrasa

Most professional development ends at the classroom door. The Artisan Immersion Program doesn't. This is a journey through Moroccan culture told through art: learning zellige tilework piece by piece from a master artisan, weaving alongside artisans using techniques passed down for generations, and standing inside architectural masterworks like Fez's historic madrasas, where centuries of zellige, carved cedar, and stucco craftsmanship surround you at monumental scale, with a walk through the legendary Fez tanneries along the way. The program is built around direct, hands-on access and firsthand encounters with Morocco's artistic heritage — not a guided tour from behind a rope.

Every stop on this trip runs through our partner school in Rabat, an operating school run by our partner in Morocco, where a full-time weaver and a full-time zellige master work every day, year-round. That's the difference: your cohort steps into a working space and a standing relationship, one built to host your teachers again next year and every year after.

Plan the Trip

What's Included & Who It's For

What the Trip Includes

A real, ongoing relationship with our partner school in Rabat, an active, year-round working space with a full-time weaver and zellige master
Hands-on zellige tilework instruction with working craftspeople
Hands-on weaving instruction, in which your cohort creates a piece to take home, using techniques passed down through generations
Guided visits to Morocco's celebrated architectural and artistic monuments, including Fez's historic madrasas, masterworks of zellige, carved cedar, and stucco craftsmanship
A visit to the legendary Fez tanneries, one of the oldest continuously operating tanneries in the world
Full in-country support, including lodging, ground transportation, a 24-hour emergency contact, and required travel health insurance for every participant
Structured time to turn the trip into classroom-ready lesson plans, so teachers leave with a completed lesson plan, the woven piece and zellige work they made, and photos and reference material from the trip

Who It's For

This is built for school and district cohorts, ideally 6 to 18 educators from the same school or district. Sending a group means the experience comes back to your school as a shared language among colleagues. Every cohort is personally led by our director, who brings more than a decade of experience guiding cohorts abroad.

Designed with art educators in mind. Not an art teacher? Absolutely welcome. World language, social studies, and humanities teachers get just as much out of the history, architecture, and craft immersion, and cohorts can mix disciplines.

Every trip is fully custom, with no fixed dates or set itineraries. Tell us your group size, focus areas, and timeline, and we'll design the itinerary and build a detailed cost estimate together. Next step: a short scoping call, then your custom itinerary.

Many districts fund experiences like this through existing professional development budgets. We're happy to think through funding together as part of planning your trip.

Design a Trip for Your Cohort

"Discover the artistry, traditions, and everyday beauty of Morocco through hands-on cultural experiences inspired by centuries of craftsmanship."

About Zawiyati

Rooted in Real Cultural Expertise

Zawiyati is led by cultural educators with 20 years of college-level teaching experience in Arab art and culture, including federally funded immersion programming and multiple study-abroad programs in Morocco.

That experience shapes every Zawiyati workshop: rigorous, authentic cultural content, delivered hands-on — with materials sourced directly from Morocco and a teaching style built for classrooms, libraries, and community spaces alike.

Hands-on Moroccan cultural arts workshops for schools, libraries, and communities across Texas & beyond

Through Moroccan Art & Culture

Every Workshop Includes

An engaging cultural introduction

Authentic materials from Morocco

Experienced cultural educators

All supplies & materials