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Home › News & Events › News › Sama Alshaibi Named University of Arizona Regents Professor

Sama Alshaibi Named University of Arizona Regents Professor

May 3, 2022

The Arizona Board of Regents confirmed the appointment of the University of Arizona School of Art’s Sama Alshaibi as a Regents Professor this spring.

The title of Regents Professor is reserved for full professors whose exceptional achievements merit national and international distinction. Regents Professor appointments are limited to no more than 3% of the total number of the university’s tenured and tenure-track faculty members.

Alshaibi has served as co-chair of the School’s Photography, Video and Imaging (PVI) program since 2013 and was named a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow. Under her leadership, the PVI program has achieved national recognition, ranked among the top photography programs in the country.

“Sama’s long list of professional accomplishments make her most deserving of this award,” said Colin Blakely, director of the School of Art. “What is even more impressive is that even as she has garnered international acclaim, she has remained intensely dedicated to the local communities around her. Whether through her mentorship of faculty, staff, and students or through her constant commitment to leading various initiatives through to completion, she is always available and willing to roll up her sleeves, and through this has been an immensely positive force for change in the School of Art. I am excited to see her engage as an ambassador for the arts at the university level through her participation in this distinguished group.”

As prestigious as her accolades are, Alshaibi is an approachable and grateful person.

“I stand on the shoulders of so many. I never imagined my career could be where it is now,” said Alshaibi. “I’m not just an immigrant, but someone that didn’t have citizenship growing up. Education and the arts gave me a road to find my voice, and the University of Arizona is how I found my footing and path.”

Sama with her work.

Her work explores the ways in which women and immigrants are represented and affected throughout history and in modern war conflicts. Alshaibi’s perspective as an immigrant woman from the Middle East may seem a world away, but living and working along the U.S.-Mexico border is a reminder of how universally relevant the topics of her work are. The numbers validate this claim: Sama has given almost 100 presentations and has been cited more than 200 times. 

So, what is a Regents Professor? According to the University, “The title Regents Professor serves as recognition of the highest academic merit and is awarded to faculty members who have made a unique contribution to the quality of the University through distinguished accomplishments in teaching scholarship, research or creative work.”

Regents Professors are often called upon to provide advice and counsel to the President. Alshaibi’s presence and advocacy is necessary for the University community. In her teaching and artistic practices, she has created space for herself and those who identify with her.

“I’m excited to represent the PVI program, the School of Art, the College of Fine Arts and Arizona Arts,” said Alshaibi. “As a woman of color, this has been my mission since I joined University of Arizona in 2006. As an artist, I’m doing what I know to do. Being an Iraqi Palestinian American affords me a space to speak to our intertwined history and contemporary peril. I will continue to use my platform to consider those of us on the margins, and how the human dimension needs to be centered.”

Her students attest to Alshaibi’s dedication to mentorship and creating space.

“While I attended the University of Arizona, Sama was the only professor who identified as a femme, person of color within my area of study,” said Kennady Schneider (BFA ‘19, Photography). “This perspective, truth, origin of knowledge and research, and grounding within her identity made her an above excellent professor and mentor; she truly took the time to listen, connect, engage with, and support her students.”

The School of Art is so fortunate to have such accomplished faculty and we are excited to see Alshaibi deservedly recognized with this distinguished title. 

“I’m so proud to tell anyone I meet that I love my city, my job, my colleagues, and students,” said Alshaibi. “To receive this distinction means I have honored the university and community that gave me so much.”


Born in Basra to an Iraqi father and Palestinian mother, Sama Alshaibi is based in the United States where she is Professor and Co-Chair of Photography, Video and Imaging at the University of Arizona, Tucson. She holds a BA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and an MFA in Photography, Video, and Media Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Visit Sama Alshaibi’s website.

UPCOMING

Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

• Join the Phoenix Art Museum for the presentation of the 2021 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award to Prof. Sama Alshaibi, who will discuss her work and process. Her exhibition “Generation After Generation” will run through May 2023 at the museum in conjunction with the 2021 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards exhibition, which also explores themes of female empowerment, immigration status and isolation. Tickets

Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

• “Embodying Self as Subject”: The question of the photographed subject presents a central ethical and political challenge today that is invariably bound up with centuries of image production, with the lenses through which we have constructed our selves and another’s self. Dr. Deborah Willis and Prof. Sama Alshaibi will take an immersive look into the visual and identity politics of portraiture and self-portraiture, into imagining the body as a setting in which political and personal narratives intersect and unfold. The free presentation, part of the School of Art’s VASE series and Arizona Arts’ Signature Series, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for Creative Photography. Details

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University of Arizona School of Art
1 day ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Creative director John Meyer (BFA '82, Studio Art) — the College of Fine Arts Alumnus of the Year — calls his 2012 Walgreens branding campaign (“At the Corner of Happy & Healthy”) his favorite. Read our profile of John at tinyurl.com/SOAMeyerprof and the CFA announcement at tinyurl.com/SOAMeyernews. The former SOA adjunct instructor also appeared on the AMC television series "The Pitch." Arizona Arts The University of Arizona ... See MoreSee Less

Creative director John Meyer (BFA 82, Studio Art) — the College of Fine Arts Alumnus of the Year — calls his 2012 Walgreens branding campaign (“At the Corner of Happy & Healthy”) his favorite. Read our profile of John at https://tinyurl.com/SOAMeyerprof and the CFA announcement at https://tinyurl.com/SOAMeyernews. The former SOA adjunct instructor also appeared on the AMC television series The Pitch. Arizona Arts The University of ArizonaImage attachment
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2 days ago
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This content isn't available right now ... See MoreSee Less

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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
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University of Arizona School of Art
2 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Ellen McMahon and Tioni Collins from Arizona Arts will give their “Perspectives on Resilience” for the Arizona Institute for Resilience on Feb. 2, 1-5p.

An eye-opening afternoon of idea sharing, learning, and networking around the theme of resilience with TED-style lightning talks, speed networking, and an interactive speaker panel. Attend in person (ENR2 Room S107) or on zoom.

azart.fyi/RSVPResilience

McMahon, associate dean for research, is the opening speaker and she’ll talk about the relationship between "Art, Knowledge, and Resilience." Collins, our student diversity programs specialist, will present “Predictable and Hidden Challenges of Higher Education.”

Learn how other faculty, researchers, and students approach resilience from their diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Meet potential collaborators across campus.

This half-day hybrid occasion will culminate with the unveiling of exciting new funding opportunities for future resilience-themed endeavors. A reception will follow.

azart.fyi/ResilienceInfo

Arizona Institutes for Resilience
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University of Arizona School of Art
4 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Congrats to Robert Edward Gordon (Ph.D. Art History, '15), who recently published "Buddhist Architecture in America: Building for Enlightenment" through Routledge (tinyurl.com/2yzn7t2y). The book draws from Robert's dissertation, "The Heart in the Matter: Design, Belief and a History of Buddhist Architecture in America," under Professor Paul Ivey. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Center for Buddhist Studies ... See MoreSee Less

Congrats to Robert Edward Gordon (Ph.D. Art History, 15), who recently published Buddhist Architecture in America: Building for Enlightenment through Routledge (https://tinyurl.com/2yzn7t2y). The book draws from Roberts dissertation, The Heart in the Matter: Design, Belief and a History of Buddhist Architecture in America, under Professor Paul Ivey. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Center for Buddhist StudiesImage attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We were delighted to host the Visions Program from Scottsdale today with a series of tours and workshops with our faculty — and to show students what it’s like to be an Art Wildcat!

The program brings together 42 art students from diverse Maricopa County high schools for a yearlong series of activities designed "to cultivate artistic skills, collaboration and civic engagement," Visions says.

Opening speeches from Colin Blakely, (School of Art Director), Karen Zimmerman (Associate Director), lydia see (Gallery Director) and Ashley Rubin (Art Advising) welcomed students and gave them a glimpse into the workings of the school. Visiting Profs. Danielle Jones (3DXM) and Erin DiGiovanni (2D) and Assistant Prof. Nicole Antebi (IDA/Animation) held workshops, while Denise Angulo (Administrative Associate) and student workers Kayla Bradshaw and Alex Allen led the tours. Thanks everyone for an amazing day! (Photos by Ava Sheppard)
... See MoreSee Less

We were delighted to host the Visions Program from Scottsdale today with a series of tours and workshops with our faculty — and to show students what it’s like to be an Art Wildcat! 

The program brings together 42 art students from diverse Maricopa County high schools for a yearlong series of activities designed to cultivate artistic skills, collaboration and civic engagement, Visions says.   

Opening speeches from Colin Blakely, (School of Art Director), Karen Zimmerman (Associate Director), lydia see (Gallery Director) and Ashley Rubin (Art Advising) welcomed students and gave them a glimpse into the workings of the school. Visiting Profs. Danielle Jones (3DXM) and Erin DiGiovanni (2D) and Assistant Prof. Nicole Antebi (IDA/Animation) held workshops, while Denise Angulo (Administrative Associate) and student workers Kayla Bradshaw and Alex Allen led the tours. Thanks everyone for an amazing day! (Photos by Ava Sheppard)Image attachmentImage attachment+5Image attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

The upcoming "Soy de Tejas" exhibition in San Antonio will feature Assistant Professor Alex Macias and Bella Maria Varela (MFA '21). They are among 40 native Texan and Texas-based contemporary artists "who reflect the diverse and beautiful complexity of Latinx identities," say the organizers of the exhibition, which is curated by Rigoberto Luna. The opening reception is Feb. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Centro de Artes. Congrats Alex and Bella!

• Facebook evite: fb.me/e/2wlRIMy2C
• Website: www.getcreativesanantonio.com/Galleries/Centro-de-Artes

Arts & Culture, City of San Antonio #GetCreativeSA #CentrodeArtesSA #SoydeTejas Arizona Arts
... See MoreSee Less

The upcoming Soy de Tejas exhibition in San Antonio will feature Assistant Professor Alex Macias and Bella Maria Varela (MFA 21). They are among 40 native Texan and Texas-based contemporary artists who reflect the diverse and beautiful complexity of Latinx identities, say the organizers of the exhibition, which is curated by Rigoberto Luna. The opening reception is Feb. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Centro de Artes. Congrats Alex and Bella!

• Facebook evite: https://fb.me/e/2wlRIMy2C 
• Website: https://www.getcreativesanantonio.com/Galleries/Centro-de-Artes

Arts & Culture, City of San Antonio  #GetCreativeSA #CentrodeArtesSA #SoydeTejas Arizona Arts
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