Next Generation/Sanctuary Studio Fellowship: Sobia Ahmad
Sobia Ahmad dissects how social, cultural, and political forces shape personal narratives and community experiences. A strong believer in the power of art for social justice, Ahmad explores how our deeply intimate struggles of belonging can inform larger conversations about national identity, notion of home, cultural memory, and gender. Her recent body of work grapples with nuances and complexities of the idea of home as an immigrant through socio-political commentary. Weaving her personal history as well as community stories into the broader cultural fabrics, she highlights the inseparability of the self and larger power structures, while aiming to start dialogue about the role of storytelling and vulnerability in catalyzing collective healing and social change.
Born and raised in Pakistan, Sobia Ahmad moved to the United States at the age of fourteen. She is a 2016 graduate of the Bachelor’s in Studio Arts and the Honors Art Program at the University of Maryland College Park. Ahmad’s work been reviewed in several major publications such as Al Jazeera English, The Washington Post, and The Huffington Post and has been included in multiple collections. She has exhibited internationally— including at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles and Queen Mary University in London. Recently, she was awarded an artist fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center.
About the Next Generation/Sanctuary Studio Fellowship: The Next Generation/Sanctuary Studio Fellowship provides support for a promising contemporary visual artist who is emerging and/or a recently relocated refugee or asylee. The fellowship includes mentorship, a studio residency of one year, a solo exhibition, opportunities to share and exchange with the public through teaching, workshops, open studio visits, artist talks, and a community of artist peers. The mentor will assist the Fellow with the development of creative and professional goals, access to resources and services, navigation of local artist opportunities for the exposure of the fellow’s work, and exchange of ideas. Currently Fellows are selected through nomination and invitation only.
Learn more about the Next Generation/Sanctuary Studio Fellowship.