Life of the Mind lecture series presents Samina Quraeshi April 6

Samina Quraeshi is an author, artist, designer and professor with a truly global perspective. Good luck trying to classify the Pakistan native in a single category, or even several. She is dedicated to bringing the arts, culture and spirituality in harmony with their surrounding community.  Quraeshi will address those topics in her keynote address “Art and Culture as a Strategic Resource” as part of the Life of the Mind lecture series, Wed., April 6, at 2 p.m. in the MARC Pavilion at FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus. Her lecture will be followed by a panel discussion and reception.

So what exactly does Quraeshi do? It depends on her project and the client, but she always moves beyond the surface and delves into how communities function. Her work can be local in scale—she once spearheaded an interdisciplinary design team of faculty, students and community leaders to strengthen the neighborhoods in Miami’s inner city—or global in scope as she has written extensively on Islam and Pakistani culture and tradition. The unifying theme in all her work is the interconnectivity between design, culture and community in society.

“Samina has a cross disciplinary approach to problem solving which touches on issues of identity and citizenship, at both a local and global level,” says Faculty Fellow John Stuart. “She speaks to global issues that impact institutions, nations and communities of nations.”

With so much of the planet in turmoil, Stuart notes that Quraeshi’s vision of using art and culture to help fashion communities is of particular importance. It is a lofty ideal, no doubt, but one rooted in a practical approach to problem solving, not pedantic theory.

“She uses her own work—artistic projects, design and her leadership—to help communities create their own identities,” says Stuart. “The lecture will start a dialogue that can make an important contribution to FIU’s approach to its global obligations as it positions itself as a strategic enterprise in community engagement.”

Quraeshi recently held a joint appointment as the Henry R. Luce Professor in the School of Architecture and School of Medicine at the University of Miami. Last year she was awarded the John D. Rockefeller Award for her contributions to practice and study of the visual arts of Asia by the Asian Cultural Council. Previously, Quraeshi served as the New York Times Resident in Design Arts at the American Academy in Rome. She is also the first Pakistani artist to get an exclusive exhibition space at Harvard University’s Peabody Museum, where she displayed a mixed-media installation on the mystical dimensions of Islam. Quraeshi has also published several books on culture, spirituality and design.

The Life of the Mind lecture series is sponsored by the Office of the Provost. The series’ roots can be traced back to President Mark B. Rosenberg’s keynote address at 2009 Faculty Convocation, in which he emphasized the importance of the life of the mind to the faculty.

Those who plan on attending the event are asked to RSVP to provoff@fiu.edu with “Life of the Mind” in the subject line.