Artist Biography:

Born and raised in Jordan, Muna Halabi began her artistic career immersed in a rich culture of art and architecture. Inspired by these surroundings, Muna earned her bachelor’s degree in interior design.

Before moving to the United States, Muna was featured in the 1991 photography exhibit, “The Natural Abstraction of Petra,” held at the French Cultural Center in Amman, Jordan. A mixed media collage piece of her’s was also permanently displayed at the College of Fine Art at Yarmouk University Irbid, Jordan.

In 1995, Muna moved to Northern California to raise her family. In the midst of that challenge, she found her creative outlet in art projects with her children and costume design for their various dance and theater productions.

The next chapter in Muna’s creative aspirations was ignited by Lisa Reinertson’s sculpture work. Inspired by the raw and honest physical qualities of clay, Muna began sculpture classes at Solano Community College in 2011. Through her nine years studying there, her professor Marc Lancet had a lasting impression on Muna and her work. She embraced his preferred style for finishing clay sculptures - the ancient art of Japanese wood firing.

A pivotal point in Muna’s career came during the 20th Anniversary of Wood Firing Exhibition at Solano Community College, where her work was displayed alongside Lisa and Marc, two artists who helped shape her career. In addition to this exhibition, many of Muna’s sculptural works have been displayed at The Solano College.

With four other ceramic artists, Muna founded the organization Out of Clay in 2018. This artist collective was established to share their passion for clay and companionship. Their first exhibition premiered at Alpha Fired Arts in Sacramento, CA in 2019, which showcased the wide variety of ceramic styles and techniques across the Out of Clay artists.

Muna has participated in numerous other art related groups and exhibitions around Northern California. Among these include the Fairfield-Suisun City Visual Arts Association, in which she promotes creative expression in her community through collaboration and education, and the CCACA Ceramic Sculpture Conferences, which she has been involved with from 2011 to 2019 in Davis, CA.