“Art, it is said, is not a mirror, but a hammer: it does not reflect, it shapes.”
from Leon Trotsky’s essay ‘Literature and Revolution’ (1924)
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Education
2019 – Now School of the Art Institute of Chicago – Illinois – USA
Master of Fine Arts, Major: Performance
2015 -- 2017 University of South Dakota – South Dakota – USA
Bachelor of Fine Arts, GPA: 3.695/4.0
Major: Sculpture, Minor: Art History
2013 -- 2015 Parkland College – Illinois – USA
Art and Design (transferred to USD), GPA: 3.671/4.0
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Languages
Kurdish (native), Persian (fluent), English (good), Spanish (intermediate)
Key Skills
Performance, Photography, Dance-Performance Workshops, Site-Specifity Installation Performance, Metal Fabrication, Wood (Bending, Carving), Portrait Sculpting, Clay Modeling and Casting, Extended Media, Watercolor, Painting, Web Designing (Squarespace and Wix), Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, Audacity.
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Scholarships
Fall 2020 School of the Art Institute of Chicago – Enrichment Scholarship
Fall 2019 School of the Art Institute of Chicago – Enrichment Scholarship
Spring 2016 University of South Dakota – Harvey and Alwayne Gunderson Art Scholarship
Fall 2015 University of South Dakota – Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship (CURCS Mini Grant)
Spring 2015 University of South Dakota – Harvey and Alwayne Gunderson Art Scholarship
Spring 2015 Parkland College – Lykins Family Art Scholarship
Spring 2015 Parkland College – Robert Ralph Ford Memorial Art Scholarship
Spring 2014 Parkland College – Underwood-Alger Scholarship
Awards
Fall 2021 School of the Art Institute of Chicago – Graduate Dean Professional Development Award
Spring 2020 School of the Art Institute of Chicago – Graduate Dean Professional Development Award
Spring 2017 University of South Dakota – Exposure Gallery Exhibition Award in Stilwell Student Juried Exhibition
Spring 2017 University of South Dakota – Honorable Mention Award in Stilwell Student Juried Exhibition
Spring 2016 University of South Dakota – Dean of Fine Arts Purchase Award in Wilber Stilwell Student Juried
One work was purchased for Dean’s permanent collection at USD.
Spring 2016 University of South Dakota – Two Purchase Awards in Salon Des Refug´es Exhibition
Two works were purchased for Dean’s permanent collection at USD.
Spring 2015 Parkland College – Purchase Award from Giertz Art Gallery
One work was purchased for Parkland College permanent collection.
Spring 2014 Governors State University – Merit Award for Illinois Community College Juried Exhibition
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Teaching Experiences
Summer 2022 Chicago Arts Partnerships In Education (CAPE) – Teaching Artist
Spring 2022 SAIC – TA in Land as Material (Photography - 5105)
Spring 2022 SAIC – TA in Media Practices: The Moving Image, Film and Video (FVNMA - 2000)
Spring 2022 SAIC – TA in Core Studio Practice I (Contemporary Practices - 1010)
Fall 2021 SAIC – Professional Practice: Junior Seminar (Photography-3900)
Fall 2021 SAIC – Crossing Borders (Performance-4005)
Fall 2021 SAIC – Documentary Practices (Photography-2025)
Spring 2021 SAIC – Environmental Extractions: Art, Place, and Identity (FVNMA-2900)
Spring 2021 SAIC – Media Practices: The Moving Image (FVNMA-2000)
Fall 2020 SAIC – Media Practices: The Moving Image (FVNMA-2000)
Fall 2020 SAIC – Intro to Photography (Photography-1001)
Spring 2020 SAIC – Fusions of Performance, Film and Video (FVNMA-3029)
Spring 2020 SAIC – Performative Clay (Ceramics-3035)
Fall 2019 SAIC _ Introduction to Performance (Performance-1101)
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Curatorial Projects and Leadership
Spring 2022 We The Women Performance collective performance, Chicago, IL
Spring 2022 Our Weapon Is Love, a collection of 10 continuous collective performances in Chicago, IL
Fall 2021 We Are Still Walking, and We Are The Flowers, Chicago, IL
Spring 2021 As Far As My Hands Go and Because of public-engaging projects, San Diego, CA
Spring 2017 Gradual Death, Humanity Station, We Are All Broken Pieces, And Spiral, Vermillion, SD
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Dance/Performance Festivals
Spring 2021 Transitstation Festival in Europe and Aisa 2021
Spring 2021 Human Lights Festival organized by 7 Stages Theater, Atlanta
Spring 2021 Flow Symposium 2021, organized by Out of Site and Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago
Spring 2021 Perform-A-Rama 2021, organized by Pique in Cincinnati, Ohio
Spring 2021 Open Performance Movement Research in New York
Fall 2020 New Blood Festival at SAIC
Artist Talks
Spring 2022 The Symphony of Loss – Kurdish Cultural Center of Illinois (KCCI)
Spring 2021 The Discipline of Practicing Art and Life, at Art Institute of Chicago
Spring 2017 The Unsettling Artist Presentation at IdeaFest 2017 in USD Muenster University Center
Spring 2016 Children on Warland Artist Presentation at IdeaFest 2016 in USD Muenster University Center
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Publications
2020 The Wave of Space – The Eye of Photography
2015 Seven Artworks – Parkland College Annual Art Magazine
2014 Three Artworks (Sculpture, Ceramic, Painting) – Parkland College Annual Art Magazine
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Collections
2018 One Painting – Vermillion Cultural Association, Vermillion Private Collection
2016 Dance of Lines (five paintings) – a permanent collection of Heartland Humane Society
2016 Children on War (five paintings) – I.D. Weeks Library Permanent Collection in USD
2016 Two Sculptures – USD Sculpture Garden
2014 Discussion over the Creation of the World – Parkland Student Art Collection
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Solo Shows
Spring 2017 Solo Show at Exposure Art Gallery in Sioux Falls
This show was a combination of nine sculptural portraits I donated to this Gallery.
A review of this show was published by JAM Art and Supplies on April 25.
Fall 2016 Exhibiting Bending Wood Sculpture Series (Five Sculptures) in USD I.D. Weeks Library
I donated these works to ID Weeks Library.
Spring 2016 Solo Exhibition in the Stairwell of USD I.D. Weeks Library
Five of these paintings are in USD permanent Collection, and three are in the permanent collection of Heartland Humane Society.
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Group Shows
Spring 2023 Two Photo Installation Projects in Embodied Homescape at Cultivate in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Fall 2019 ExTV's 2019 ExFestival
Summer 2018 One Video in Experimental Video Show at The Exchange Gallery in Bloomsburg, PA
Spring 2018 One Painting in Let's Connect Philly at Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia
Spring 2018 Three Paintings in OSTEN Biennial of Drawing Skopje 2018 in Macedonia
Spring 2018 One Painting in the Studio MOOC Exhibition at MOMA
Spring 2017 Graduation Group Show “Juncture” at John A. Day Art Gallery in USD
Spring 2017 Two Paintings in Alternative Traditions Exhibition at Exposure Gallery in Sioux Falls
Spring 2017 Four Sculptures in Stilwell Student Juried Exhibition
Fall 2016 One Sculpture and One Performance in Cerebrations Exhibition at the Vermillion Area Arts Council
Fall 2016 Two Ceramic Sculptures in Artist as Activist Exhibition in USD
Fall 2016 One Painting in Technical University of Valencia – UPV in Spain
An electronic copy is available at the Digital Library of South Dakota (DLSD)
Spring 2016 South Dakota State University – Arts Council Sculpture Project 2016
Three works were selected for Arts Council Sculpture Project 2016 to be exhibited in a group show
Spring 2016 Three Metal Sculptures in Stilwell Student Juried Exhibition
Spring 2016 Two Paintings at My Body My Right Exhibition in USD I.D. Weeks Library
Fall 2015 One Sculpture in Picturing USD’s Exhibition
Spring 2015 Three Artworks (Ceramics and Painting) in Giertz Art Gallery at Parkland College
Spring 2015 Three Artworks (Sculpture, Ceramic, Painting) in Illinois Community College Juried Exhibition
Spring 2015 Three Artworks in Indi-Go Artist Co-Op Figure Drawing Exhibition in UIUC’s Life Drawing Club
Spring 2014 Two Artworks (Drawing) in Illinois Community College Juried Exhibition
Spring 2014 Three Artworks (Sculpture and Painting) in Giertz Art Gallery at Parkland College
Workshop Presentations
Fall 2023, Art Workshop for Children, San Jose Roots, History San Jose, San Jose, California.
Fall 2023, Art Workshop for Community, Mosaic America, Los Gatos Library.
Fall 2023, Art Workshop for Community, Mosaic America, Stanford Research Park, Palo Alto.
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Collaborations and Presentations
Spring 2017 Member of Design Team for the Coyote Twine Theater Mural in Vermilion, South Dakota
Spring 2016 One Painting in Corroborations 2016 in USD
An electronic copy is available at the Digital Library of South Dakota (DLSD)
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Memberships and Volunteer
Spring 2017 Voluntary Artworks Exhibition at The Festival of Nations in USD
Spring 2016 Voluntary Artworks Exhibition at The Festival of Nations in USD
Spring 2016 Member of The National Society of Leadership and Success (Sigma Alpha Pi) Community
2014 -- 15 Member of Giertz Art Gallery Advisory Board Member
2014 -- 15 Member of Life Drawing Club at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Spring 2015 Member of Phi Theta Kappa Community
Spring 2014 Jury Member of Parkland College Annual Art Magazine
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Certifications
Spring 2017 University of South Dakota – Certificate of Achievement in Recognition of Academic Excellence
Fall 2016 University of South Dakota – Certificate of Achievement in Recognition of Academic Excellence
Spring 2016 University of South Dakota – Certificate of Achievement in Recognition of Academic Excellence
Fall 2015 University of South Dakota – Certificate of Achievement in Recognition of Academic Excellence
Spring 2015 Parkland College – Certificate of Achievement in Recognition of Academic Excellence
Spring 2014 Parkland College – Certificate of Achievement in Recognition of Academic Excellence
Fall 2013 Parkland College – Certificate of Achievement in Recognition of Academic Excellence
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Ghasempor's work from the Discipline of Practicing, San Diego, CA.