Yusra Ali has loved art since childhood. She began, as many little girls do, by drawing fairies with her friends. “Growing up, I thought art was something I had to keep to myself,” Ali says. “I was always shy, I never thought I’d make it to an exhibition. Would I be accepted?” Now, the 23-year-old is using art to empower her community by curating the second annual Muslim Art Exhibit Creativity and Identity, to be held at the Contemporary Art Museum (3750 Washington Blvd.) this Saturday.
Her earlier fears of acceptance may not have been unfounded; it's not easy to be a young Muslim in post-9/11 America. But Islam, Ali believes, does not dictate what flows from her mind through her hands and onto paper. Her art represents her individuality, not just her faith.
“America is my culture. This is where I live, this is where I grew up, this is all I know,” says Ali. And what she knows is what's reflected in her art. “My faith is just my motivation and inspiration for my life. However, my culture, whatever environment I’m living in, that’s also a part of me.”
Read Full Article: https://www.riverfronttimes.com/artsblog/2018/03/26/with-art-by-local-muslim-women-show-at-cam-breaks-new-ground