Anida Yoeu Ali honored with 2018 Public Art Network Year in Review Award

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture shared their award, a 2018 Public Art Network Year-in-Review national award for their exhibition BorderLands, with nine other regional artists, including IAS faculty member Anida Yoeu Ali. Commissioned to respond to issues of nationalism and belonging, Ali was prominently featured in an iteration of her renown series on Islamophobia titled “The Red Chador.” Annually, the Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review recognizes outstanding public art projects that represent the most compelling work for the year from across the country and beyond. Many of the 2018 honorees addressed issues at the forefront of current political discourse — particularly, how history and culture has not represented race, gender, sexuality, and class with fairness. Six of those projects including Seattle’s BorderLands exhibition which uniquely addressed the issue of underrepresented histories. During the four months of the BorderLands exhibition, the space was filled with workshops and events led by local artists, social justice leaders, and members of arts organizations exploring conversations of belonging and resistance. BorderLands was a lesson in the visionary strength of artists to confront current issues and inspire individuals to be the change we want to see.