#immigrantartists

The newest Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program cohort brings together 21 artists from 16 countries and regions.

Through the support of Deutsche Bank, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is pleased to announce the participants in the 2020 NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program: Visual and Multidisciplinary Arts, presented in collaboration with New York cultural partners Assembly Room, BRIC, Eyebeam, New York Live Arts, Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA), Wave Hill, and UrbanGlass.

2020 Participants and Disciplines:

Mentee Zeshan Ahmed, Visual (India), paired with Mentor Marco Scozzaro, Visual (Italy).

Mentee Ekaterina Akuma, Visual (Russia), paired with Mentor Golnar Adili, Visual (Iran).

Mentee Ivana Brenner, Visual (Argentina), paired with Mentor Inna Babaeva, Visual (Ukraine).

Mentee Hedwig Brouckaert, Visual (Belgium), paired with Mentor Zahra Nazari, Visual (Iran).

Mentee Zorica Colic, Multidisciplinary (Serbia), paired with Mentor Luiza Kurzyna, Multidisciplinary (Poland).

Mentee Carin Kulb Dangot, Visual (Brazil), paired with Mentor Armita Raafat, Visual (Iran).

Mentee Bel Falleiros, Visual (Brazil), paired with Mentor Keren Anavy, Visual (Israel).

Mentee Nathier Fernandez, New Media (Colombia), paired with Mentor Claudia Sohrens, Visual (Germany).

Mentee Vinay Hira, Visual (New Zealand), paired with Mentor Christopher Ho, Visual (Hong Kong).

Mentee Hyun Jung Ahn, Visual (South Korea), paired with Mentor Fay Ku, Visual (Taiwan).

Mentee Jaejoon Jang, Visual (South Korea), paired with Mentor Larry Krone, Multidisciplinary (United States).

Mentee Ae Yun Kim, Visual (South Korea), paired with Mentor Cecile Chong, Visual (Ecuador).

Mentee Geuryung Lee, Visual (South Korea), paired with Mentor Kakyoung Lee, Visual (South Korea).

Mentee Jiaoyang Li, Multidisciplinary (China), paired with Mentor Jennifer Schmidt, Visual (United States).

Mentee Spandita Malik, Visual (India), paired with Mentor Sarah Walko, Visual (United States).

Mentee Levan Mindiashvili, Visual (Georgia), paired with Mentor Liliya Lifanova, Multidisciplinary (Kyrgyzstan).

Mentee j.p.mot, Multidisciplinary (Canada), paired with Mentor Antonio Serna, Visual (United States).

Mentee Bat-Ami Rivlin, Visual (Israel), paired with Mentor Daniela Kostova, Visual (Bulgaria).

Mentee Ghislaine Sabiti, Visual (Democratic Republic of Congo), paired with Mentor Yvette Molina, Visual (United States).

Mentee Leila Seyedzadeh, Visual (Iran), paired with Mentor Poppy DeltaDawn, Visual (United States).

Mentee Sofia Luisa Suazo Monsalve, Multidisciplinary (Chile), paired with Mentor Sophie Kahn, Visual (United States).

This program is made possible with the support of Deutsche Bank.

Click here for more information on the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program. And don’t forget to sign up for the monthly Con Edison IAP Newsletter to receive opportunities and events as well as artist features directly to your inbox.

Immigrant artists in the IAP cohort collaborate to create exhibition platforms in cities across the United States.

For the past two years and through the support of the Ford Foundation, The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has provided immigrant artists of all disciplines in Detroit, MI; Newark, NJ; Oakland, CA; and San Antonio, TX with individualized mentorship, resources, networks, skills, and training to help them sustain their artistic practice. The nationwide program builds on NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program in New York, NY (funded by Deutsche Bank since it began in 2007) as an impactful model of replication and is presented in partnership with established local arts organizations. 

Through each of the programs, mentors and mentees have been collaborating in formal and informal ways, emphasizing IAP’s role as a catalyst for community. Here we highlight selected collaborations and celebrate the accomplishments of our artist participants. They bring their unique voice and vision to Newark, New York, and San Antonio from countries including Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Ghana, Israel, Pakistan, The Philippines, Poland, Mexico, South Korea, Syria, and many others.

Newark, NJ

Title: Unfolding Dates: Now - Sunday, May 5, 2019 Exhibition Tour with the Artist and Curator: Sunday, May 5, 2:00 PM Gallery Hours: Sundays, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM or by appointment Location: The Jewish Museum of New Jersey, 145 Broadway, Newark, NJ 07104

The Jewish Museum of New Jersey presents a solo exhibit of Nava Gidanian-Kagan’s (IAP Newark ’17, mentee) most recent body of work as well as a retrospective featuring the artist’s earlier works. The exhibit is curated by M.Gosser (IAP Newark ’17 & ’19, mentor). 

Gidanian-Kagan’s core subject is the nature of impermanence and its manifestation in our daily life. Coming from an Iranian family who moved from Israel—where life and death are a daily struggle—Gidanian-Kagan knows that life is precious. In her recent body of work, which is painted in layers of wax and oil, she is emulating a memory of the body and its fragility. Abstracted within the figure, Gidanian-Kagan is stretching the limits between what is seen and what can be represented, confronting mortality and vulnerability. The goal of her work is to bring these tender moments to the front of the stage—from her personal view to a universal one—transforming them into a meaningful experience that embraces all shades of life.

Title: INDEX Dates: Saturday, May 4, 2019 - Thursday, May 9, 2019 Opening Reception: Saturday, May 4, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Gallery Hours: Saturdays, 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM; Sunday, Tuesday - Friday: by appointment Location: Index Art Center, 1st Floor Gallery, 237 Washington St, Newark, NJ 07102

INDEX is a group exhibition of works in all mediums by 29 artists currently participating as both mentors and mentees in NYFA's 2019 Immigrant Artist Mentor Program: Newark. The exhibition is organized by Colleen Gutwein (IAP Newark ’17 & ’19, mentor), and hosted by Index Art Center, one of the program’s partners in Newark.

Exhibiting Artists: Katrina Bello, Mic Boekelmann, Diana Candelejo, Shiza Chaudhary, Gisel Endara, Mariejon de Jong-Buijs, Kimmah Dennis, Matthew Gosser, Colleen Gutwein, Sally Helmi, Jin Jung, Ole Lie Vandal, Ananda Lima, Jo-El Lopez, Jen Mazza, Yvette Molina, Paula Neves, Olufunke Ogundimu, Adishetu Oyibo, Francisco Pena, Daniela Puliti, Fayemi Shakur, Ceaphas Stubbs, Anne Trauben, Kanako Tsutsumi, Kati Vilim, Sarah Walko, Malik Whitaker, and Agnieszka Wszolkowska.

New York, NY

Title: Multiversant Dates: Saturday, May 25, 2019 - Saturday, June 15, 2019 Opening Reception: Saturday, May 25, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Gallery Hours: Thursday - Sunday, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Location: 340 East 64th Street, New York, New York 10065

Multiversant, a group exhibition presented by ChaShaMa, will feature 22 artists from 15 countries and four continents who met through NYFA’s 2018 Immigrant Artist Program: Visual and Multidisciplinary Arts in New York. The works presented include a wide range of media, from painting, installation, performance, video, and others, and navigate the artists’ diverse and complex relationships with place and history. Addressing themes of science, culture, desire, politics, and memory, the exhibition both confronts and celebrates the underlying intersectionalities presented through the work.

Exhibiting Artists: Ololade Adeniyi, Yael Ben-Simon, Julia Brandão, Riaki Enyama, Ana Maria Farina, Floor Grootenhuis, Ziyu He, Sizhu Li, Orr Menirom, Nazanin Noroozi, Robert Edward O’Shea, Masahito Ono, Ernesto Ortiz Leyva, Supermrin, Htet T San, Lyto Triantafyllidou, Beverly Tu, Hanae Utamura, Luisa Valderrama, Chen Wang, Tina Wang, and Sarah Zarina Hakani.

San Antonio, TX

Title: Admitted: USA - NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program Round One: San Antonio, TX Dates: Thursday, June 27 - Sunday, September 29, 2019 Opening Reception: Thursday, June 27, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM  Film Night: Thursday, July 11, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Panel Discussion and Catalog Release: Wednesday, August 7, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM Location: Centro de Artes, 101 S. Santa Rosa Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78207 This exhibition, organized by Kim Bishop, Luis Valderas, Luis Garza, Richard Armendariz, Guillermina Zabala, and Sarah Fisch, features sculpture, painting, installation, jewelry, photography, spoken word performances, films, and musical performances by mentees and mentors from the first cohort of NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program: San Antonio. The focus of the exhibition is to put a human face on immigrant artists and their mentors while showcasing their talents and emphasizing the role and importance of mentorship in San Antonio. Admitted: USA is fully funded by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture. Local partners Blue Star Contemporary, Art Pace, and SAY Sí will also be spotlighted at Centro de Artes through informational installations.

Exhibiting Artists: Lorena Angulo, Richard Armendariz, Jose Balli, Marisela Barrera, Gregg Barrios, Kim Bishop, Hayfer Brea Rodriguez, Francisco Cortes, Sarah Fisch, Anel Flores, Ernesto Ibanez, Julya Jara, Maria Linan, Barbara Minarro, Ashley Mireles, Merle Mory, Anastassia Rabajille, Andrea V Rivas, Jessica Ruiz, Luiz Valderas, Jorge Villarreal, Anne Wallace, Naomi Wanjiku, Guillermina Zabala, and Claudia Elisa Zapata.

Click here for more information on the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program. And don’t forget to sign up for the monthly Con Edison Immigrant Artist Program Newsletter to receive opportunities and events as well as artist features directly to your inbox.