Kaamil Haider

2020 Early-Career Research and Development Grantee | $2,500

Taut, An Overture to Memory

Haider will research the potentiality of a public art project in or around a communal space common to the Somali community in Minneapolis. The proposed project is a continuation of a 2016 sculpture installation in which he recreated a Somali stool (gambar), larger than its original size and built out of three distinct and repeating sizes, each nested within the other, a reference to its repeated uses throughout the day.

Kaamil A. Haider is a visual artist and graphic designer based in Minneapolis. He considers the power of memory, heritage and archives in relation to his personal experiences and that of Somali diaspora communities as they forge a new life in their receiving societies. In addition to pursuing his individual artistic and design practice, Haider is a co-founder of Soomaal House of Art, a Minneapolis-based Somali artists collective supporting a growing number of emerging and established Somali artists living in Minnesota and beyond.

Forecast has been offering early-career artist grants supported by Jerome Foundation since 1989. In addition to funding, Forecast is dedicated to providing professional development and learning opportunities designed to assist emerging artists as they experiment/ hone their practices, and cultivate careers in the field. Forecast mid- and early-career grants are designed to support independent projects, leadership development, professional development, risk-taking, multidisciplinary approaches, and collaborative problem-solving in the field of public art.