The Phantom Gallery Chicago Network welcomes Ahndiya Kiburi ahndiya.studio@gmail.com • ahndiyastudio.com • IG @andiya.studio
Ahndiya Kiburi-Fiber and Material Studies SAIC
My name is Ahndiya, and I am an MFA candidate at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago, studying Fiber and Material Studies. Originally from California, I have a BA in Design at UC Davis and have been involved in the arts since I was a child. My artwork, normally in conversation with my younger or current self, often reminisces on the whimsy and sense of possibility childhood provides. Limitations and limiting beliefs seem to be common in adulthood. Limiting one's beliefs about their own capabilities and value or the capabilities and value of others blinds society to the actual interconnection they possess with nature, their environment, and others. Limiting beliefs of oneself and others allows for the very racism and misogyny I aim to disarm in my artwork.
Ahndiya Kiburi-Fiber and Material Studies SAIC
Graphic and vibrant, my artwork utilizes multiple textile art techniques along with traditional art mediums such as painting and drawing. As a Black woman living in the United States, my ancestry is disjointed, and because of this, I do not have a clear understanding of my heritage. Considering textile art's deep historical ties to the liberation of Black women in American society, I use my textile art practice to rectify the familiar loss in my life and to honor my ancestors: those known and unknown. Techniques such as crochet, quilting, and embroidery are often repetitive, and therefore serve as a meditation practice within my work. I can contemplate my life and surroundings while creating, thus creating a cyclical art-making practice.
Ahndiya Kiburi-Fiber and Material Studies SAIC
Education
2025 Bachelor of Arts, Design, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA:
Dean's List 2020-2025 with Honors.
2020 Performing and Fine Arts Academy Natomas Charter School, Sacramento, CA
Professional Experience
2026 Tour Guide, Adourn Tour Project for the Black History Month Family Festival, Crocker Art
Museum, Sacramento, CA
2023 Website Designer, Authentic Voices, Sacramento, CA
2023 Graphic Design and Community Engagement Student Assistant, Public Scholarship and Engagement, UC Davis, Davis, CA
2022 Design and Event Coordinator Externship, International House, Davis, CA
2020 Founder/Owner, Ahndiya Studio, Sacramento, CA
2017 Creative Director, One Voice Performing and Fine Art Academy, Sacramento, CA
Teaching Experience
2026 Mentor for high school community-based crochet project, Natomas Charter School, Sac, CA
2026 Contracted Adult Embroidery Course Instructor, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
2025 Substitute Visual and Performing Arts Teacher, Natomas Charter School, Sacramento, CA
2024 Art Teacher K-8, Art School of SF Bay, San Francisco, CA
2023 Student Tutor for DES 21: Drafting and Perspective Undergraduate course, Design Department at the University of California, Davis, CA
2021 Teaching Artist for Kids Summer Camps, Verge Art Center, Sacramento, CA
2020 Teaching Artist for Kids Summer Camps, Verge Art Center, Sacramento, CA
Group Exhibitions
2025 Penland School of Craft Summer Session Showcase, Asheville, North Carolina
2025 Cruess Collective, Juried senior showcase at the UC Davis Design Museum
2023 Annual Picnic Day Design Department Showcase, Juried student exhibition for the UC Davis
Design Department
2020 Intersectionality in Climate Activism, Digital Exhibit sponsored by Louder Than the Storm
Skills (Design).
Efficient in Adobe workspace, Graphic Design & Print Design, Logo Design, Fabric Design, Photography, Photo Editing, Visual Communication, Visual Campaigns, Crochet, Knitting, Machine Knitting, Natural Dyeing, Fiber Reactive Dyeing, Fabric Pattern Design, Hand Weaving, Loom Weaving, Needle Felting, Wet Felting, Figure Drawing, Painting, Fashion Design, Installation Design, Embroidery, Quilting, Mending.
Skills (Administrative):
Highly organized, detail-oriented, highly motivated; efficient in Google Workspace and Google Docs; efficient in Microsoft Suite; confident public speaker; calendar management; 7 years of customer service experience.
