Fellowships
Through our resettlement program, AFI has placed artists and cultural workers at universities including George Mason University, New York Film Academy, and Bennington College. Through our partnership with The New University in Exile Consortium, we’ve co-created yearlong, customized fellowships at The New School for six Afghan artists.
Residencies
In addition to leading the NYC Artist Safe Haven Residency Program, AFI has also partnered with residencies across the US to place artists from our network in programs, including MacDowell, Art Omi, City of Asylum Detroit, and Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts.
Fatimah Hossaini
Fatimah Hossaini is our 2025 New York City Artist Safe Haven Residency fellow. Together with our partners at Parsons School of Design we hosted Fatimah, an Afghan-Tehran born artist, award-winning photographer, and curator.
Fatimah’s work bridges art, identity, and advocacy and illuminate the Afghan experience through the lenses of identity, migration, and gender. An unwavering advocate for women’s and refugee rights, Fatimah collaborates with international organizations, including the UN and selection committee of UNESCO’s Silk Road Programs.
EFA Studio Residency
In partnership with Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, AFI invited New York City-based visual artists from within our network for short-term studio residencies through EFA’s studio program. EFA offers private studios with 24-hour access located in the EFA Center in midtown Manhattan. Participating artists had the opportunity to present their work to EFA Studio Members and at EFA’s open studio days. The recipients of EFA Studio Residencies are:
Bart Was Not Here
Bart Was Not Here is a Burmese artist in exile based in New York
Fatimah Hossaini
Afghan-Tehran born artist, award-winning photographer, curator, and founder of the Mastooraat Organization, Fatimah Hossaini is a creative force whose work bridges art, identity, and advocacy.
Kabir Mokamel
Studio Award
In partnership with Two Trees Management, our Studio Award provided two artists in AFI’s network with a studio space in DUMBO, Brooklyn, for 15 months (2021-2022). The Studio Award was developed as part of AFI’s effort to alleviate the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant and at-risk artists.
We invited artists within AFI’s network to apply for our 2021 Studio Award. Applicants were asked to share how the pandemic has impacted them, and how the studio space would energize and strengthen their creative practice. The recipients of AFI’s Studio Award were:
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of AFI’s new Studio Award:
Maryam Palizgir
Maryam Palizgir is a multidisciplinary Iranian artist and educator who lives and works in NYC.
Tara Asgar
Born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tara Asgar (documented name Ali Asgar) is a multidisciplinary transgender (She/Her) artist, educator, and activist focusing on themes of gender and desire. Her early career and activism challenged conservative gender norms in Bangladesh, particularly concerning sexuality and eroticism.
Support AFI’s Work
As censorship rises and artists are targeted for speaking truth to power, protecting creative voices has never been more urgent. Since 2017, AFI has supported over 2000 courageous artists who create even when it places them at risk. By making a contribution today, you expand our direct services and advocacy work to secure at-risk artists’ safety and stability, and provide them with the resources they need to remain on the front lines of creative resistance.