Leila Ghasempor

​​PROFILE

Visionary, inclusive Teaching Artist, Curator, and Community Arts Program Manager with an MFA in Fine Arts and extensive experience leading adaptive, person-centered creative programs for youth, adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, and seniors. As a sustainable artist, I strictly use materials that are repurposed to ensure they do not go to wasted and I created educational workshops on appreciation, love and cultural values.As the founder of the People Around Us platform, specializes in cross-disciplinary community collaboration—lifting the technical, promotional, and curatorial weight off fellow artists to share their journeys and preserve their creative legacies through marketing, web design, and interviews. Proven track record in designing interactive, highly collaborative workshops (up to 40 participants) and community-centric chair art programs that foster equity, deep conversation, and belonging. Adept at integrating traditional studio craftsmanship with sustainable materials and modern AI-driven multimedia documentation.Committed to building cultural ecosystems where diverse communities can connect, collaborate, and thrive together to foster confidence, creative expression, belonging, and equity through sustainable, accessible art experiences.

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EDUCATION

2019 – Now    Master of Fine Arts, Major: Performance, School of the Art Institute of Chicago – Illinois – USA

2015 -- 2017   Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major: Sculpture, Minor: Art History, University of South Dakota – South Dakota – USA       

2013 -- 2015   Art and Design (transferred to USD),, Parkland College – Illinois – USA           

2024           Early Childhood Education and Management, Theoria Technical College – Carlsbad – CA

2010           Bachelor of Accounting, Gilanegharb – Iran

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LANGUAGES

Kurdish (native), Persian (fluent), English (good), Spanish (intermediate), Arabic (basics).

 

SKILLS & EXPERTISE

• Community Art Education & Curation

  • Instruction & Facilitation: Inclusive, adaptive, person-centered teaching; group/classroom management and social-emotional support.

  • Curriculum & Exhibition: Workshop/curriculum development, materials adaptation, progress reporting, and exhibition coordination.
     

• Visual & Performing Arts Practice

  • Fine Arts & Fabrication: Sculpting, clay modeling/casting, wood (bending/carving), metal fabrication, watercolor, painting, and extended media.

  • Performance: Performance art, dance-performance workshops, and site-specific installations.
     

• Media, Marketing & Software

  • Digital Media & Design: Professional photography, web design (Wix, Squarespace), video/audio editing (Premiere Pro, Audacity), and Canva.

  • Outreach & Marketing: Community engagement, newsletter curation, and social media management (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X).

  • Software Proficiencies: Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro), Google Workspace.

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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 

                    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

 

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

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

Workshop Chair — FabMo, Sunnyvale, CA — Spring 2024–Present

• Lead monthly inclusive community workshops using repurposed fabrics/yarns; recruit/onboard artists; manage logistics, communications, Zoom facilitation, social media promotion & participant surveys.

• Adapt activities for diverse abilities to ensure accessibility, engagement & joy.

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Founder & Artist Manager — People Around Us, Mountain View, CA — Spring 2025–Present

• Founded platform for inclusive arts workshops (all ages/abilities) in partnership with libraries & organizations.

• Facilitate hands-on sessions (textile, sustainable crafts); document artist stories via video/interviews/photography; produce monthly  newsletters & coordinate exhibitions to promote connection & inclusion.

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Teaching Artist — Design Tech High School, Redwood City, CA — Fall 2025–Spring 2026

• Teach textile arts to groups of 25 high school students in 3-hour sessions; design adaptive curricula integrating hands-on activities, presentations & real-world insights.

• Manage Google Classroom, materials & time; organize culminating exhibitions to celebrate student work.

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Teaching Artist — One Step Beyond, Redwood City, CA — Fall 2025

• Facilitate 1.5-hour textile craft classes for 13–15 adults with intellectual disabilities; adapt projects to individual interests/comfort levels & materials.

• Manage class time & support needs; document progress & organize video/photo exhibitions.

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Teaching Artist — Hip Housing, Redwood City, CA — Fall 2026

• Lead 1.5-hour textile classes for 8–13 seniors; manage materials & activities.

• Document work & social-emotional impact; promote via social media to highlight art's benefits & support future funding.

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Teaching Artist — Los Altos & Sunnyvale Libraries, CA — Fall 2025–Present

• Facilitate collective crafting workshops for 20–25 youth, adults & seniors.

• Manage sessions, materials & documentation; create social media content to inspire community participation & future programs.

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Program Manager — Right at School, Los Altos, CA — Spring 2024

• Oversaw after-school programs at two elementary sites; supervised staff; designed/taught adaptive art-infused SEL lessons; managed communications & operations for safe, inclusive environments.

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Teaching Artist — Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE), Chicago, IL — Summer 2022

• Developed/taught interdisciplinary arts lessons for K–8 students; facilitated collaborative projects on social/environmental themes; documented progress & showcased work to build confidence.

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TEACHING EXPERIENCES

Fall-Winter-Spring      2025-2026    Hip Housing – Teaching Artist, One Step Beyond-Dragonfly

Fall-Winter-Spring      2025-2026    Flex-X – Design Tech High school, Redwood City

Fall-Winter-Spring      2025-2026    Intersession – Design Tech High school, Redwood City

Summer 2025   Art Bias – Teaching Artist, One Step Beyond

Summer 2024   Right At School (RAS) – Program Manager

Summer 2023   International Child Resource Institute (ICRI) – Teacher and educator

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 & LEADERSHIP

Summer 2026   The Trio Philosophy in Terry Sand's Retrospective, Art Bias, San Carlos

Spring   2026   A Journey of Resilience, Lina Gelfer's first solo Exhibition of her Paintings, Art Bias, San Carlos

Spring   2025-present       Workshop Chair at FabMo, Sunnyvale, CA

Spring   2024-Present       Founder of People Around Us, Artist Interview, Marketing, and Community Workshops    

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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WORKSHOPS

Fall-Winter-Spring    2025-2026   Teaching Artist for Library Workshops, San Mateo Libraries-San Carlos Libraries

Fall 2025 Adults with Intellectual Disability, the San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities, the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture, CFC

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.

 

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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COLLABORATIONS & ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Spring 2024-Present  Artist Curation for FabMo Workshops

Spring 2024-Present  Artist Interview and Collaboration for People Around Us

Spring 2021-2022  Critic in Academic Art Field, Translation and Crit Team working with Professor James Elkins 

Spring 2019-2022  Crit Panel for Grad Students at the School of Art Institute of Chicago

Spring 2017  Member of Design Team for the Coyote Twine Theater Mural in Vermilion, South Dakota

Spring 2015  Jerry for Student Exhibition at Parkland College, IL

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DANCE_PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL

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

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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

                    

VOLUNTEERS

Spring 2024-Present  Volunteer at FabMo in Sunnyvale, CA

Fall     2024  Volunteer at Friends of the Mountain View Library, Mountain View, CA

Fall     2024  Voluntary at Goodwill in Palo Alto, CA

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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SOLO SHOWS

Fall      2026  Upcoming Solo Exhibition of Gouache and Watercolor paintings at Los Altos Library

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

Wniter  2026  Women Artists Show Atherton Art Foundation, Atherton, CA

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

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