51ĀŅĀ×

Recent MFA graduate and current Interdisciplinary Arts (iArts) Ph.D. student Tabeena Waniā€™s sculptural work has been repeatedly recognized for excellence in international and national circles this summer, following her thesis exhibition ā€œSummā€ this spring in the Trisolini Gallery.

In June, Wani was awarded the Marianne Kor Award for Distinguished International Entry for her work ā€œHalf Widow Iā€ at Fiberart International 2025 at Pittsburghā€™s Contemporary Craft.

ā€œWith over 400 entries from 30 countries, 36 artists were chosen, offering a diverse and engaging representation of contemporary fiber art,ā€ the organizers of the honors said. ā€œThe exhibition is globally recognized as a benchmark, documenting trends and innovations in the field.ā€

Then, this August, Waniā€™s portfolio work Zatth/Zath was awarded the national MidWest Award for Artists with Disabilities by Arts MidWest, an organization that works in tandem with National Endowment for the Arts to ā€œamplify Midwestern creativity.ā€

And most recently, Waniā€™s work ā€œKakaz Kyom | Ś©ŪŒŪ†Ł… Ś©Ų§Ś©Ų² (Silverfish)ā€ was recognized by the prestigious International Sculpture Centerā€™s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Scultpure Award, having been nominated by School of Art + Design Chair and Associate Professor of Sculpture and Expanded Practice Kate Hampel.

ā€œThis is the programā€™s fourth recognition in the last six years by the field of sculptureā€™s most relevant and respected journal,ā€ Duane McDiarmid, director of the School of Art + Design and professor of Sculpture and Expanded Practice said. ā€œIn this case, Tabeena Wani's work is breathtakingly beautiful, immaculately crafted, poetically moving as she responds to her own unique circumstances as a woman rising from the social and political ground of occupied Kashmir.ā€

Hampel agreed, saying that ā€œTabeena's work is a great reflection of her own talent and commitment as an artist, as well as an example of the kind of multi-disciplinarity and conceptually driven work that the Sculpture + Expanded Practice area fosters.ā€

ā€œI have been so happy to see our area's students receive this level of recognition, because it's something we as faculty see... that the culture of our community is to be driven by our ideas, and to explore the creative methodologies that best support those ideas, and I believe that commitment is what's underlying these successes,ā€ she added.

In speaking to Wani, she feels a ā€œdeep gratitude for the recognition and the successful outcome of [her] effortā€ and in discussing her work further, and itā€™s clear that place and culture are intrinsic to her practice.

Q: Do you have a preferred medium?
Wani: My medium and techniques are quintessentially Kashmiri. I incorporate materials that have a cultural and emotional significance like copper, steel, Pashmine, Tillā€™e embroidery, wool and hair.

Q: Can you speak about your background and what brought you to 51ĀŅĀ×?
Wani: I am born and raised in Indian administered Kashmir where I pursued BFA in Graphic Design. After working freelance for two years, I later enrolled as an MFA in Graphic Design at 51ĀŅĀ×. As I started school at 51ĀŅĀ×, I switched to Sculpture + Expanded Practice as I realized the medium of my work had shifted in the years between my BFA and MFA.

Q: What have you found benefited your artistic practice within the culture of the School of Art + Design?
Wani: Moving to a new country and culture was certainly a big change but becoming part of another community posed challenges. As an artist whose practice is based on the ā€œquotidian and the geopoliticalā€ events of Kashmiri experience, I had to explore ways to not only introduce my practice to the visual arts community here, but also to contribute to it concurrently.

The graduate student community in the School of Art + Design is very close knit in and outside of the school. For studio practice specifically, the community doesnā€™t end when the class ends, it begins right after it. I am fortunate that I was in the company of some well-informed fellow graduates who have supported me and my studio practice by sharing skills, providing critical feedback, caring for my practice and most importantly through their companionship and endless potlucks.

Q: What is the inspiration behind your recent work that has earned you several international and national accolades this year?
Wani: My current body of work examines geopolitical boundaries, with particular focus on lines of control and lines of normalizing control.