Feature Issue on Careers in The Arts for People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities
My Arts Career: Yasmine Iskander
Yasmine Iskander is an abstract artist who works primarily with acrylics on canvas and on paper. Passionate and direct, her art captures the vibrancy of her extraordinary life journey and her personal interpretation of the world. She has participated in several juried exhibitions, and, in 2018, she received the second prize in the Kennedy Center VSA Emerging Young Artist national program. Her piece Dragon toured the country as part of an exhibition entitled Detour, which culminated at the Kennedy Center Hall of States. Her collectors are in the United States, in Europe, and in Latin America.
My art expresses my feelings about the happy moments in my life, but also about the difficult times I have had, especially my many heart and brain surgeries. When I paint, I feel strong, excited, exuberant! I feel it in my heart. The colors and shapes that guide my work pop into my head. Colors are my favorite language. As a Deaf artist who wears hearing aids, I know that there are many ways to communicate. Colors are the most direct and powerful.
Heart Surgery by Yasmine Iskander
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Art Imitating Life | “She’s living her truth.” This video features Yasmine Iskander’s work, including winning an award from the Kennedy Center.