Fariha is a multidisciplinary artist whose work lies at the intersection of art, journalism, and community building. Her writing and photography are published in a multitude of news magazines, literary journals, and other publications (hyperlink publications). 

Fariha constantly facilitates sessions on storytelling, liberation, and communication with various organizations, conferences, and community groups, including the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program; Columbus Museum of Art; Girl Scout National Convention; and others seen here.

Fariha has studied at the University of Houston; the New York Institute of Photography; the Inprint Writers Workshop; the Arkansas Art Museum; the TriState Trauma Network, and elsewhere. She continues to mentor and develop programming for local leaders and creatives as well as create storytelling campaigns for regional and national organizations.

As a third culture kid, Fariha’s parents resettled in the United States from South Asia more than 50 years ago. Being born in the Midwest, Fariha then was raised abroad in a military family; and later moved to the South, where she has lived in Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas. As a polyglot and lover of culture and travel, Fariha believes in the power of language and image for narrative change and societal liberation.

Fariha Tayyab is a multidisciplinary artist hailing from Houston. As a writer and photographer, her work explores identity, radical reimagination, and liberation work. 

Fariha’s creative work has been published in various journals and publications, including Gulf Coast Literary journal, ‘Secrets, Lies, and Rumors’ anthology with various women writers on choice; Matter Monthly Journal;  Columbus anthology, Matter News, Brown Girl magazine, Not your Mother's Breast Milk journal, the Eater, OPAWL zine, and Columbus Alive. 

She has performed her poetry and facilitated workshops with the Netroots Nation, Columbus Museum of Art, NPR Cleveland, GCAC arts festival, Columbus libraries, YWCA, Literary Cleveland, Girl Scouts National Conference, Wild Goose Creative, Making Midwest festival, Poetry out Loud, Freedom a'la carte, 614 festival, the Magic sessions, Creative Babes, Lincoln Theatre, Maktoub, Ohio Dominican University, Rabata, Hot Times festival, Streetlight Guild, Department of youth services, Healing Broken circles, Gathering All Muslim Artists, and U.Iowa’s International writing program.

Fariha has studied with the New York Institute of Photography, Arkansas Art Museum, and Lifetime Arts. She has graduated from Lincoln Theatre's artist incubation program, led an artist mentoring program, and served as editor-in-chief for OPAWL'S QuaranZine. 

Her public art has been displayed in Zora's house, OPAWL - Building feminist leadership in Ohio, in Art of Abortion exhibition, and she has been interviewed by NPR Columbus, Wild Goose Creative, and the Magic sessions. Fariha is listed on the Ohio Art Council accepted Fariha for the teaching artist roster and has awarded her two creative aging teaching artist residencies.

—------------------------------------------------------

Fariha Tayyab is a multidisciplinary artist and storyteller who explores identity, radical reimagination, and liberation. Her writing has been published in Columbus anthology, Matter News, the Eater, Columbus Alive, and others. She has performed her poetry and facilitated workshops with a variety of local organizations and national conferences, including Netroots Nation, Columbus Museum of Art, YWCA, Girl Scouts National Conference, Poetry Out Loud, and U.Iowa’s International writing program.

Fariha has studied with the NY Institute of Photography, U.Houston, and Lifetime Arts. She is listed on Ohio Art Council’s Teaching Artist Roster and was awarded multiple residencies and grants.

—------

Fariha Tayyab is a multidisciplinary artist based in Columbus by way of  Houston. As a writer and photographer, her work explores identity, radical reimagination, and liberation work. Fariha’s creative work is published in various journals and publications, including the Columbus anthology, Matter News, Brown Girl magazine, the Eater, an abortion anthology, and Columbus Alive. She has performed her poetry, released public art, been interviewed and facilitated workshops with  a variety of organizations and conferences including the Netroots Nation, Columbus Museum of Art, NPR Cleveland, YWCA, Literary Cleveland, Girl Scouts National Conference, Making Midwest festival, Poetry Out Loud, Lincoln Theatre, Streetlight Guild, Department of youth services, Gathering All Muslim Artists, and U.Iowa’s International writing program.

As a trainer and educator, Fariha worked for a decade in two countries, including Haiti and Syria, and across the nation in Texas, Arkansas, and Ohio. She taught in public, private, and charter schools and then transitioned into education-focused nonprofit organizations, including the Columbus Urban League and Big Brothers Big Sisters Ohio. She has been a solopreneur for three and a half years and splits her time between training educators on trauma, cultural competency, and engagement; teaching adult ESL classes at Columbus state; her storytelling and reporting work; and finally, community building. 

Fariha is a third culture kid who spent 13 years of her childhood in the Middle East and another 13 years in Texas. She has been in Ohio for six years and has also lived in Rochester, MN, and Little Rock, AR, with a few international stunts in between. She lives in Northern Columbus with her spouse, foster child, and two recently adopted cats. In Ohio, she participated in multiple formalized programs, including United Way’s neighborhood leadership academy and Lincoln Theatre’s artist incubation program and fellowship. She has also served as a mentor with She Creates Columbus via Wild Goose Creative, a writer-in-residence with Zora’s House, and won multiple awards and grants for her artistry. Most recently, she was accepted into Ohio Art’s Council’s teaching artist roster. 

As a lover of languages and culture, Fariha still travels and tries to keep her foreign language as a priority for herself and the communities she serves. She has served on various boards and started two organizations during her time in Houston. In Columbus, she remains passionate about working with housing insecure persons, refugee/immigrant youth illiteracy and mentoring, and prison liberation work. Fariha has been involved long-term with My Project USA, CRIS, Food Not Bombs, Healing Broken Circles. When Fariha is not creating art at her favorite fair-trade coffee shops or serving in the community, she plans her next nomadic adventures or dreams about collective liberation.  

Fariha is a multidisciplinary artist whose work lies at the intersection of art, journalism, and community building. Her storytelling revolves around the themes of identity, belonging, and social justice. She is passionate about unconvering untold stories of various populations through  creative writing and photojournalism. 

Her work has been published in the Eater, Columbus Alive, Brown Girl Magazine, and numerous literary journals. She has also facilitated a variety of workshops on art as social change at the  University of Iowa, YWCA, Columbus Museum of Art, Girl Scout NationalConvention, and others. 

As a third culture kid, Fariha’s parents were born in Pakistan and came to the US  in the ’70s. Her family then transitioned from the Midwest to living abroad and finally returning to Texas in 2000. As a polyglot and lover of culture and travel, Fariha believes in the power of language and visual narrative to transform society by shifting perspective and generating waves of tolerance. She is passionate about working with young people, building literacy in institutions, and serving housing insecure populations. When Fariha is not creating art, or serving her community she is planning her next adventure, looking for the next fair trade coffee shop, or meditating after some poetry.

----

Alexandra Bell is a multidisciplinary artist who investigates the complexities of narrative, information consumption, and perception. Utilizing various media, she deconstructs language and imagery to explore the tension between marginal experiences and dominant histories. Through investigative research, she considers the ways media frameworks construct memory and inform discursive practices around race, politics, and culture.

Her work has been exhibited at MoMA PS1, We Buy Gold, Koenig & Clinton Gallery, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Atlanta Contemporary, Pomona College Museum of Art, Spencer Museum of Art, and Usdan Gallery at Bennington College. She received the 2018 International Center of Photography Infinity Award in the applied category and is a 2018 Soros Equality Fellow. Bell is part of the 2019 Whitney Biennial and has a Spring exhibition at the Charlie James Gallery (LA).

Bell holds a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies in the humanities from the University of Chicago and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

---

Born in the United States and raised between the United Kingdom and Saudi where she is currently based, Tasneem Alsultan is an investigative photographer, storyteller and global traveler. With an inquisitive eye and camera at hand, she offers intimate and unique perspectives into the everyday lives of her subjects, telling their stories from her heart while striving to humanize and connect their realities to her audiences.

Her work largely focuses on documenting social issues and rights-based topics in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf region through a gender lens, challenging stereotypical perceptions of the Middle East and portraying a region and people that do not conform to expectations. Covering stories primarily for The New York Times and National Geographic, Tasneem documents ground-breaking developments in Saudi and the region, including most recently, the lifting of the driving ban for Saudi women and the lifting of the ban on Saudi women entering sports arenas.

Having focused her research on anthropological studies of Saudi women, Tasneem holds a Master of Art in Social Linguistics from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Linguistics from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi.

-----

Josué Rivas (Mexica/Otomi) is a creative director, visual storyteller, and educator working at the intersection of art, journalism, and social justice. His work aims to challenge the mainstream narrative about Indigenous peoples, build awareness about issues affecting Native communities across Turtle Island, and be a visual messenger for those in the shadows of our society. He is a 2017 Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellow, founder of the Standing Strong Project, co-founder of Natives Photograph and winner of the 2018 FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo. 

---

Fariha is an artist and global nomad currently residing in Columbus, Ohio by way of Houston, Texas. As writer, educator, and photographer, she is known for her badassery as a social justice influencer. In this way, Fariha remains committed to resistance by storytelling through her creative writing and photojournalism.

With a Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing from the U. Houston, Fariha has received awards for her written work, continues to perform poetry and has her creative work published and recognized. She is currently working on a full length manuscript of resistance narratives, in which Fariha documents the various struggles facing individuals through many societal struggles discussed today.

These days she is also inspired by the late champion of social change, Muhammad Ali. In his honor, she is working a documentary photography project 'I too am America,' exploring the unique interests and talents of young men of color in her local community. No matter the project, her purpose remains fiercely loyal to representing the unheard voices by utilizing art as a vehicle for social progress.

In her adult-ish life, Fariha has developed fluency in four languages through studying and living abroad, teaching English, and continuously exploring the global landscape to further understand the human condition. As a daughter of South Asian immigrants, she has traveled to over 14 countries in both her childhood and adulthood, and has a long list of international dwellings. Despite her nomadic tendencies, Fariha chooses to remain dedicated to her local community of residence, through serving youth, formerly incarcerated, homeless, and the New American community.

You can find Fariha wrapped up in deep thought at a fair-trade coffee shop or surrounded by incredible people. When not working on her craft or community projects, she also spends time reading poetry, meditating outdoors, renewing her faith, or planning her next adventure.

Fariha Tayyab is a community educator, activist, and multidisciplinary artist. For the last 15 years, she has worked in various school systems and taught elementary, high school, and adult students as well as E.S.L. populations in public, charter, community college, and private schools. As a transplant from Houston, she has taught full time in Texas as well as twice abroad before relocating; Currently, she is an E.S.L. and G.E.D. instructor at Columbus State Community College and has held former positions working with MENTOR Ohio and Columbus Urban League as a trainer and educator. 

She has facilitated a variety of workshops around leadership and social justice with various groups, including the City of Columbus, U. of Iowa, Marion Correctional, Girls Scouts National Conference, and College Leadership Conference of Ohio. Since relocating to Columbus, she has been involved with various organizations as a volunteer including CRIS (Community Refugee Immigration services), My Project U.S.A., and Food not Bombs, and as a participant in various leadership programs including Neighborhood Leadership Academy with the United Way of Central Ohio. 

As an artist, Fariha is a storyteller whose work revolves around the themes of identity and social justice, utilizing both photography and writing. In 2019, she was a writer-in-residence for Zora's House, a community space for women of color, and a fellow with the 'Expanding your Horizons' artist incubation program at the Lincoln Theatre. She has received awards and grants for her artistry and mentored emerging artists.