Meet the Artist
Faheem Majeed
Portrait by Devina Yoestong
Faheem Majeed is a builder—literally and metaphorically. A resident of the South Shore neighborhood in Chicago, Majeed often looks to the material makeup of his neighborhood and surrounding areas as an entry point into larger questions around civic-mindedness, community activism, and institutional critique. As part of his studio practice, the artist transforms materials such as particle board, scrap metal and wood, and discarded signs and billboard remnants, breathing new life into these often overlooked and devalued materials. His broader engagement with the arts also involves arts administration, curation, and community facilitation, all which feed into his larger practice. Majeed received his BFA from Howard University and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant (2015) and a Harpo Foundation Awardee (2016). From 2005-2011, Majeed served as Executive Director and Curator for the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) and from 2013–2015 he served as the associate director and faculty of UIC’s School of Art and Art History. In 2015, he co-founded the “Floating Museum” which blends creative place-making, activism and exhibition design to creates temporary, site-responsive museum spaces to activate sites of cultural potential throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods. Currently, Majeed is a full-time, practicing artist and creates work in his South Shore studio.
Faheem Majeed is a builder—literally and metaphorically. A resident of the South Shore neighborhood in Chicago, Majeed often looks to the material makeup of his neighborhood and surrounding areas as an entry point into larger questions around civic-mindedness, community activism, and institutional critique. As part of his studio practice, the artist transforms materials such as particle board, scrap metal and wood, and discarded signs and billboard remnants, breathing new life into these often overlooked and devalued materials. His broader engagement with the arts also involves arts administration, curation, and community facilitation, all which feed into his larger practice. Majeed received his BFA from Howard University and his MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant (2015) and a Harpo Foundation Awardee (2016). From 2005-2011, Majeed served as Executive Director and Curator for the South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) and from 2013–2015 he served as the associate director and faculty of UIC’s School of Art and Art History. In 2015, he co-founded the “Floating Museum” which blends creative place-making, activism and exhibition design to creates temporary, site-responsive museum spaces to activate sites of cultural potential throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods. Currently, Majeed is a full-time, practicing artist and creates work in his South Shore studio.
Portrait by Devina Yoestong
