Nadia Ahmed (she/her) is a Pakistani American performance artist and sculptor whose work explores and interrogates facets of grief, diaspora, memory, and solitude, drawing extensively from her lived experiences. She currently serves as the Communications Specialist for the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.
Savita Krishnamoorthy: Congratulations, Nadia, on your appointment in January 2024 as Communications Specialist for the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. Let me begin our conversation by asking about your background in the arts and what led you to your current role?
Nadia Ahmed: I have to start by recognizing the role my mom played in my career path. She has continually encouraged me to follow what I’m passionate about because she didn’t always have that same support. She always wanted to be a teacher, but her parents convinced her to pursue a different path they thought would be more financially stable. Later in life, she decided to follow her dream and became a substitute teacher.
She then moved to a role in a middle school as a teaching assistant and taught in an ELD class, helping students transferring from non-English speaking countries, where the students absolutely loved her. Seeing how happy this made her and the positive impact she had on her students has inspired me throughout my career. Even though she doesn’t always understand my work, she continues to be my number one fan.
I’m driven by the goal of making positive progress through the arts. After graduating high school in Southern California, I moved to Seattle to attend UW, double majoring in Art History and Sculpture. I knew I wanted to work in the arts and immediately got a job at the school’s gallery, followed by jobs at various arts nonprofits.
With a focus on community building and racial equity, I explored paths as an educator, programmer, curator, and fundraiser before finding my perfect fit in communications and marketing. I was most recently the Communications Manager at Artist Trust before joining the City. I was drawn to working for the City so I could work closer with Seattle artists and have a greater direct impact on my community.
SK: What inspires you in your creative + artistic practice? Are there any specific projects you would like to highlight for our readers?
NA: My work stems from my personal life, often carrying aspects of diaspora, discomfort, and grief. Through materials like beeswax, video, text, and found objects, I explore the human relationship to time, as well as how this intertwines with our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the space around us. Something valuable I get from my work is a chance to connect with people in a vulnerable and intimate way. Though my work is inspired by very personal experiences, I love to hear how others relate to it. My favorite part of my practice is having these deeper conversations and connections that would not have otherwise happened.
Recently, I had residencies at Nii Modo and Inscape Arts and am currently a resident artist at Actualize in downtown Seattle. These opportunities have been invaluable in growing my practice as well as helping me build community with fellow artists. For many years I was making my work at a desk in the corner of my carpeted apartment (not a great mix when you work with wax). These residencies have allowed me experiment with larger work, weirder materials, and share my work more widely with others.
If you’d like to see my work in person, I’ll be part of an upcoming show at Hedreen Gallery from October 2024 to January 2025, curated by Arielle Simmons!
SK: What do you find exciting about art in Seattle and more broadly in the Pacific Northwest?
NA: The most exciting part of the Seattle art scene to me is the community! I feel like I’m constantly meeting new artists, supporters, and cultural workers who reinvigorate and inspire me. I love how there is such a wide variety of artwork and practices in the area, as well as a willingness to share with and learn from one another.
SK: How do you plan to integrate your artistic background with your role at the Office of Arts and Culture? How will this impact the Seattle arts community?
NA: I’ve always seen my work in arts administration as part of my artistic practice since they developed alongside each other. Having the perspective of both sides of the work allows me to bring aspects of one into the other.
It’s crucial to have artists at the table. Trust can only be built when the community being served is included in the development and implementation of institutional work. My lived experience as both an artist and person of color allows me to bring the concerns and thoughts from my own community into conversations and make sure that those voices are being heard and considered in the decision making process.
As I advanced in my career, it was rare to see anyone who looked like me in arts organizations, especially in leadership roles. I dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome since it felt like I wasn’t meant to be working in this field. I hope that in my new position, fellow Desi artists and cultural workers can feel more represented and encouraged to pursue a career path in the arts.
SK: What challenges do you think the arts community in Seattle is currently facing and what opportunities do you see for collaboration and growth?
NA: There’s a consistent need for space, money, and additional resources for artists nationwide. In Seattle specifically, it’s becoming increasingly hard to be a full time artist given the high cost of living in the city. The effects of the pandemic made it clear that we need a universal income for artists and gig-workers.
I believe the biggest strength of the Seattle art scene is that it holds more space for community and collaboration than it does for competition. In the 10 years I’ve lived here, I’ve always been moved by the many artist-run spaces, residencies, and collectives. Regardless of any hardships, artists continue to create work and build community. I’ve seen time and time again how artists lead the way to a brighter future.
SK: Lastly, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
NA: While you can probably find me at art events around the city, my favorite way to spend time is with my loved ones. I’m always looking forward to snuggling my dog on the couch while watching horror movies, singing karaoke with friends, making dinner with my fiancé, or facetiming family.
I also recently resparked my childhood joy of reading and have been obsessively renting library books. Shoutout to the Seattle Public Library and sorry to whoever is waiting on my late return, I’m a slow reader!
To learn more about Nadia and her work, be sure to visit her social media handles at:
Website: nadia-ahmed.com
Instagram: @nadiaahmed