2018 – 2019 Program
Soomaal Fellowship is an initiative by Soomaal House of Art in partnership with Augsburg University Art Galleries. The artists considered for these fellowships work in a variety of visual art media, including both traditional and new media. During the twelve-month fellowship year, each artist receives studio visits, access to technical assistance and a culminating gallery exhibition at Augsburg University.
Khadijah Muse and Kaamil A. Haider, the selected 2018 – 19 fellows, have each produced a body of work that has culminated in an exhibition from August 1-29 at Augsburg University’s Gage Family Art Gallery and Christensen Center Art Gallery. The exhibition will have educational components to supplement artworks such as public presentations and panel discussions around the show and contemporary Somali visual art.
Artists Talk & Reception
August 17, 2019, 6 pm
August 1 - 29, 2019.
The exhibit and its programs are
free for the public.
Khadijah Muse
Xariir
Christensen Gallery
720 22nd Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Kaamil A. Haider
Soo Bood, Bood / Come Jump, Jump
Gage Gallery
2211 Riverside Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Xariir
by Khadijah Muse
Khadijah Muse is a visual artist and art organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her practice is greatly influenced by her commitment to community building. Khadijah uses art as a tool to explore interpersonal and environmental relationships using various mediums including photography, woodworking, sculpture and installation.
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Understanding the power of art, Khadijah facilitates opportunities for other Somali artists to optimize their artistic potential. She is the co-founder and director of Soomaal House of Art, a Minnesota-based Somali artists collective. Khadijah holds a BS in Sociology from the University of Minnesota. She is one of the two 2019 Soomaal Fellows, an initiative by Soomaal House of Art in partnership with Augsburg University Art Gallery.
Soo Bood, Bood / Come Jump, Jump
by Kaamil A. Haider
Kaamil A. Haider is a Somali born visual artist and graphic designer based in Minneapolis. He has received his B.F.A. in Graphic Design at the College of Design, University of Minnesota. In his art practice, Kaamil considers the power of memory and archives in relation to his personal experiences and that of his larger community. With over a dozen exhibitions, themes of discussion found in his artworks are a constant discourse within the Somali diaspora communities such as the passage of knowledge, rituals and physical connection with their heritage as they forge a new life in their new homes.
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In addition, Kaamil is a co-founder of Soomaal House of Art, a Minnesota–based Somali artists collective supporting a growing number of emerging and established Somali artists living in Minnesota and beyond. He is the recipient of the 2018 University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s U40 Alumni Leader Award for his academic achievement and community engagement through Soomaal. Kaamil is one of the two 2019 Soomaal Fellows, an initiative by Soomaal House of Art in partnership with Augsburg University Art Galleries. He is also a 2019 Springboard for the Arts’ 20/20 Artist Fellow.
Soomaal House of Art is a Minnesota-based Somali artists collective and artists-run organization. Soomaal supports and helps students, emerging and established artists find artistic community, mentorships, fellowships, resources and opportunities. Soomaal provides a platform for artists who want to use art to shape and frame critical discourse around vexing local and global matters within their respective communities and inspire them to harness the power of art as a tool for intellectual and civic engagement.
The Augsburg Art Galleries (AAG) is comprised of three main on-campus art spaces: Gage Family Art Gallery, Christensen Center Art Gallery, and Gallery720. Found on both ends of the Minneapolis campus, these spaces are dedicated to cultivating creative ideas and intellectual growth through direct engagement with visual art. The mission of the AAG is to serve our community through supporting the innovation and experimentation of visual artists as they foster creativity, conversation, engagement, and critical thinking. This community includes the students, faculty, and staff of Augsburg as well as the regional, national, and international exhibiting artists, alumni, surrounding neighborhoods, and wider Twin Cities public.