The Protest Purse Exhibition Features Local Artist Kulsum Tasnif

The Frankie G. Weems Gallery at Meredith College featured the work of local artist Kulsum Tasnif, a mixed-media artist and transmedia storyteller. The Protest Purse focuses on female strength and empowerment.

The Protest Purse exhibition was displayed from October 11 – November 6, 2022, at the Frankie G. Weems Gallery at Meredith College. An opening reception and gallery talk took place on October 20 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. A closing reception was held on November 6, 2022, from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. 

Kulsum immersed herself in stories of multicultural and multigenerational women, learning what inspires us to RESIST and to exist in these times of national chaos, global catastrophes, and day-to-day struggles. The resistance purses are portraits of contemporary human struggles and triumphs. The Protest Purse is an ongoing project that seeks to re-contextualize how we see protest and allows insight into the hearts and minds of a diverse community of women.

Kulsum spent years recording the voices of survivors of war from Bosnia, Syria, Burma, Afghanistan, and Somalia and illustrated their stories in her series, Journey to The Good Life. Other solo exhibits include The Protest Purse and Our Ramadan: Hunger, Heart and Healing, highlighting diverse Ramadan experiences of Muslim Americans across the United States. 

In 2021, Muslim Girl Magazine named Kulsum among the “Top Six Creatives to Know.” Her essays have been published in Patheos, The Manifest-Station, and Brown Girl Magazine. Her work has been highlighted in The News & Observer and Hayati Magazine and can be found at The Selkie Gift Shop in Wilson, N.C. She serves on the Board of Directors of Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh. Kulsum’s latest venture, ARTIST UMMAH, is an incubator of The Light House Project, which provides young Muslim visual artists an accessible space to showcase their talents. She received her master’s degree in art and design from NC State University in 2021 and has a bachelor’s degree in studio art and creative writing from the University of California at Davis.

About Meredith College Galleries
Meredith College Galleries enrich the academic, artistic, and intellectual lives of our students, campus community, and the community at large by providing exhibitions featuring regional to international artists and engaging programming. Exhibitions supported through the Frankie G. Weems Gallery and the Johnson Hall Rotunda Gallery provide an opportunity for communication, dialogue, and reflection that allows us to better understand ourselves and others through interaction with original creative works of art.

For more information, contact Meredith Art Gallery Director, Todd Jones at tnjones@meredith.edu.