Asem Ahmed

I am a New Jersey-based artist specializing in oil painting, portraiture and figure drawing. I’m also interested in sculpture, and printmaking.

I first became involved in art as a way of coping with assimilation to American culture. My family and I left our home in Marrakesh, Morocco to settle in Jersey City when I was only 9 years old. Because I didn’t know English when I moved here, I poured myself into drawing, and I would practice on every surface I could find. Since many peers and teachers recognized and encouraged my artistic abilities, I eventually grew to view art as a possible career path rather than a coping strategy.

To develop my skills, I joined a visual arts program in high school. There I learned oil painting under the guidance of teachers. Most recently, I received formal art training at New York Academy of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where I received atelier style training. Throughout my college career, I was the recipient of art honors and scholarships including the Salmagundi Membership Award, the Ziccardi Award at NJCU and an honorable mention in the 2015 Williams Prize in Drawing for Emerging Artists competition.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.