Photos courtesy of Third Culture
Third Culture co-founder, Samiha Fatayer, at their outdoor event last fall in Bayview’s Zillman Park.
In the last few years, in the midst of systemic racism and horrific injustices, creative communities have had substantial conversations around proper visibility and representation. A collective against erasure, Third Culture curates interactive, immersive experiences that honor and amplify the traditions, ancestries and creativity of Milwaukee’s many cultural communities. Formed in 2024, the collective has so far hosted a myriad of events that have involved food, art, storytelling, and unique celebrations of identity.
Third Culture’s five founders and co-organizers are Ayesha Ali, Salam Fatayer, Samiha Fatayer, Hannah Awadallah, and Sohayla Shahsavand.
The five are all longtime friends who came together because they wanted to feel a stronger, more intentional sense of belonging in local creative and cultural spaces. “It’s sort of a lovechild that we created based off things we want to see in our own community,” Samiha explains.
Third Culture founders, from left to right, Samiha Fatayer, Sohayla Shahsavand, Hannah Awadallah, Salam Fatayer, Ayesha Ali, at their junk journal/vision board event this year hosted by La Finca Coffeehouse in St. Francis.
“There’s been lots of trauma to our people and communities here and abroad,” Ali affirms. “We really needed a space where we could just breathe, be in a space with similar-minded people, and uplift our joys and our struggles.”
While all of the founders are Muslim women, three of the five founders are Palestinian-American. Two are biracial. “We all come from different professional backgrounds, and we’re all creatives in our own way,” Ali notes. “It’s nice when we all put together our unique and random thoughts on things.”
The “Third Culture” refers to those who grew up in a different culture than that of their parents. “It’s a combination of both what you’re raised as and who you’ve become in your own personal environment,” Ali describes. “It’s a perfect definition of a lot of us here.”
In addition to bridging gaps between different parts and pockets of Milwaukee, decentering whiteness in creative spaces and partnering with socially-conscious local businesses, Third Culture identifies their events as sober spaces, which are important in a city like Milwaukee with a prominent drinking culture.
“We try to move our events throughout Milwaukee so that they can be more accessible to people who don’t live in a certain neighborhood,” Samiha adds.
For Third Culture’s first official event, they partnered with Bint Jamila’s Table in August for a Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) fundraiser dinner and auction at Cloud Red in Shorewood.
Conveying stories of Palestinian culture and identity through cuisine, Palestinian mothers and chef Saher Mohammad prepared a menu that featured wonderful dishes such as warak dawali, Gazan dagga, musakhan, lamb qidreh and many others. The evening’s auction items were donated by local artists, vendors and community members.
“We’ve been able to come across the coolest business owners and people who are really passionate about change,” Ali says. “The owner of Cloud Red is definitely one of them.”
Next in late September was Third Culture’s first solo event, an afternoon vendor market at Zillman Park in Bay View that featured over 20 local artists and creatives of different walks of life and backgrounds, Turkish coffee, children’s activities and several food trucks.
“That was awesome, it ended up being so successful,” Ali reflects. “We had our booth right in the entrance where we had a map where you could put down your origins, like where you or your parents are from.”
Third Culture held their most recent event in January at La Finca Coffeehouse, where they invited community members into a more intimate setting to come make “junk” journals and vision boards. Folks brought their own photos and mementos while Third Culture provided all the necessary materials of magazines, stickers, scissors, glue, a printer and the like.
“It was so cool to see people making friends and exchanging phone numbers at the end of the event,” Ali remarks.
“La Finca was a great edition for where we want to have our events,” Samiha contends. “Liz, the owner, is amazing and has done lots of great work for communities here in Milwaukee.”
Participants of a Third Culture event holding their story boards, created during the cultural immersion program.
Coming up next is Third Culture’s Ramadan event on Friday, March 14 from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Nadiana Art Gallery in Greenfield, which will feature local Muslim poets and vendors, appetizers from Zatoon Charcuterie and miscellaneous activities. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Hanan Refugees Relief Group. RSVP here.
“We wanted to do something community-focused and bring people together after prayer,” Samiha mentions.
Beyond this event, Third Culture would love to eventually have their own designated space to have both their and other community members’ events at. In fact, the organizers hope to do a music-focused event at some point. They are certainly open to being brought ideas from the community, plus they are always looking for new venues or businesses to work with.
A variety of vendors, New Moon Nails, Bauble Box, Timeless Touch Designs and Mimi’s Henna participating in the Third Culture market.
“We really put our love and passion into this,” Samiha concludes. “Everything we’ve done so far we’ve used our own resources and money for.”
“With every event that we’ve done, the feedback we’ve gotten has made us feel so seen,” Ali attests. “Generations older than us have wished that they had this when they were younger and have said that this is so needed.”
Ramadan with Third Culture will take place at Nadiana Art Gallery, 4818 S 76th St., in Greenfield on Mar 14, from 11 p.m. – 2 p.m. Cost is $18 and RSVP is required.
