Are you an immigrant artist? South Asia Institute initiated the Immigrant Creative Mentorship Program aimed at fostering artistic growth and professional development within Chicago’s Immigrant arts community.
The initiative will build long-term partnerships between arts organizations, academic institutions, and South Asia Institute. Together, we will foster creative expression, champion underrepresented voices, and contribute to a more inclusive and diverse cultural landscape in Chicago and beyond.
Come to our monthly meet ups to network, share your creative experiences, and receive feedback or guidance from established immigrant artists.
About the Speaker
Ruby Chishti, a Pakistani American sculptor and installation artist based in New York City, brings a haunting and enigmatic touch to her work. Educated at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Chishti's sculptures traverse the journey of fabric from discarded mass-produced and ceremonial clothing to the reimagined filaments of artistic expression. Her practice extends to audio-visual installations, exploring the fusion of found garments with social memory, intertwined with her own complex history of trauma and resilience. From unexpected family losses to the destruction of her Pakistani home, Chishti's art reflects the survival of migration and her persistence through transitional challenges.
Chishti has undertaken residencies both domestically and internationally, including being a Critic in Residence at Cornell University and recieved the VSC/Pollock Krasner Fellowship in 2022, Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2024. Her installations, sculptures, and site-specific works have graced prestigious venues such as the Asia Society Museum in New York, Queens Museum, Harris Museum in Preston, UK, Hudson Valley MOCA, and Middlebury College Museum of Art, National Museum of Qatar among others.
Her impactful pieces find a permanent home in esteemed collections including those of the Art Mill Museum Qatar Museum, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Devi Art Foundation, and the Whitworth Gallery in London.
The Immigrant Creatives Mentorship is supported by Terra Foundation for American Art.