Announcing the 2023 IMPART Artist Grant Recipients

We are excited to announce the recipients of our 2023 IMPART Artists Grants: Farjana Salahuddin, Randa M., and Salma Hassaan. 

We were humbled by the large number of applications from various artists in Qatar, America and beyond. We are grateful to all who submitted their proposals.  

These three promising artists will receive the 2023 IMPART Artist Grant, which provides a $5,000 grant to support the their ability to create a new body of work and an opportunity to exhibit and speak about their work at QAIC as part of our IMPART Summit in October of this year. The work of all three artists incorporates this year’s theme of Technology & the Arts. Once again, we congratulate the three recipients of the 2023 IMPART Artist Grants on this achievement and opportunity. 

Farjana Salahuddin 

Farjana Salahuddin is an interactive and new media artist, specializing in transforming spaces and objects to interactive and immersive experiences. Her passion in fusion of technology, design and art, has led her to create avant-garde experiential productions at the intersection of technology and art. Her productions center around a novel way of reciprocity between the audience and the space/object, whereby the audience engages their various senses to experience the piece. Her recent showcases include Pearl – A Journey of Secrets, an experiential fashion piece inspired by the Valentino, and currently in exhibition at M7 in Doha; in addition to multiple experiences at Fereej Al Najada – a heritage site by Qatar Museums, where her work involved combining all human senses, including touch, sight, and hearing in a beautiful composition to experience the transformed spaces.

Through collaborations with artists from multiple disciplines like fashion, calligraphy and sculptures, her work has spanned over a wide range of themes and mediums. She holds a Master’s in Interactive Digital Media from Trinity College Dublin, and a Bachelor’s in Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Randa M 

Randa M. is a multifaceted artist and architectural designer whose work celebrates cultural heritage and evokes a sense of empowerment. She spent her childhood moving between urban centers in the MENA region and North America and draws inspiration from her Arab roots by weaving elements of traditional art forms, architectural motifs and cultural symbolism. Trained in architecture and environmental design, Randa M. holds degrees from the University of Toronto and Virginia Tech. She contributed to various research and design projects in North America and internationally, and currently works at Gensler’s D.C. offices, where she makes contributions in the urban design and mixed use practice areas. 

Salma Hassaan 

Salma Hassaan is an interdisciplinary designer and artist (b. Cairo, Egypt) based in Los Angeles, California. She holds a BFA in Painting & Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Salma’s research and art delve into the realm of art installations and ephemeral art, with a dedicated focus on exploring the intricate connection between humans and nature through transformative spatial experiences.

Salma’s artwork has been showcased at venues such as the Dawayer Festival in Siwa Oasis, Egypt, NYC x Design Week in New York, and the Katara Art Center in Doha, Qatar. Her talent has been recognized with prestigious design awards, including the iF Design Awards and European Product Design Awards.