Sarah K. Khan
Sarah K. Khan (b. Mangla, Pakistan) utilizes food to provoke thought about injustice towards people and the planet. She explores food, culture, women, migration, and identity in urban and rural environments. A multi-media maker and scholar, she uses photography, films, video art, print-making, maps, and writing. To defy erasure and to build archives, simultaneously, Khan reveals the often invisible labor and mastery of the disregarded. To inscribe the denied into global and local multi-visual cultures, she researches and documents the lives of ordinary people who are extraordinary. Engaging slowly, she gets to know her subjects with empathy and respect. The subjects and subject matter, real or conjured, are complex individuals dealing with the challenges of life. The work captures a moment in time and space revealing the emotions and lived experiences, the humanity of those she encounters.
After a year as a Senior Research Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India, she is in post-production on a film on Indian women farmers . The film intersects globalization, climate change, environmental degradation, gender disparity, race and caste discrimination and farmers’ suicides in addition to the loss of crop, biological, cultural, culinary and linguistic diversities.
She creates global media content on Migrant Kitchens. The goal is to relay the stories of migrants, through the lens of food with photography, film, interactive maps and story. She is assembling a series of multimedia and photographic exhibits on “In/Visible: Migrant Kitchens,” “In/Visible: Porters of Taste” that explores the lives of migrant workers in Old Delhi; and another on “In/Visible: Women Farmers.” At present Sarah continues Migrant Kitchens in the USA, and with a group of women cooks and farmers in Fez, Morocco.
She has articles/photography in two edited volumes: “Supershero Amrita Partitioned Once, Migrated Twice,” In Women and Migrations: Responses in Art and History. Editors, Deb Willis, Cheryl Finley, Ellyn Toscano; and Khan, SK. (2020). “To Sow and To Sew: Siddi Women Farmers (and Quilters) in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India.” In African Diasporan Communities Across South Asia, Volume 2, in The Afro-South Asian in the Global African Diaspora, 3-Volume Series. Edited by Kenneth X. Robbins, Omar Ali, Beheroze Shroff, and Jazmin Graves. Published by Greensboro, NC, USA; Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India: The University of North Carolina, Ethiopian at Greensboro and East African Studies Project and Ahmedabad Sidi Heritage and Educational Center.
Sarah’s photography, films, and writing have also appeared in AAWW Open City, Roads and Kingdoms, Culinary Backstreets, The Art of Eating, Modern Farmer and Yahoo India. Her photographic eBook entitled West Africans Hands Create Cultivate Cook is a tool to teach about biocultural, agricultural and culinary diversity. Her academic research has appeared in The American Botanical Council’s Herbal Gram, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Integrative Medicine by David Rakel MD, and in The American Journal of Health Education.
A two-time Fulbright recipient, Khan earned a BA in Middle Eastern history and Arabic (Smith College), two Masters (public health and nutrition, Columbia University) and a Ph.D. (traditional ecological knowledge systems, plant sciences, New York Botanical Garden-CUNY). She has received numerous grants and fellowships to pursue her work.
ART EDUCATION
2010-12 Three letter press print making intensives, each year, with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., Gordo, AL
2010 Mughal Miniature Painting, Persian Miniature Painting, Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, London, 2-13 Aug
2008-09 Paper-making Collective with Mary Hark, Hark Paper Studio, Madison, WI
2007 Basic Western and Eastern Paper-making with Susan Gosin, Mina Takahashi Dieu Donné, Haystack School of Art, Deer Isle, ME, S4 Jul; Box-making with Mary Howe, Haystack School of Art, Deer Isle, ME, S6, Sep
2006-08 Member, Wisconsin Center for Book and Paper Arts Studio
2005 One month study under Bashir Ahmad, Head of Mughal and Persian Miniature Painting at the National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan. Studied basic Mughal and Persian drawing techniques on treated Wasli paper.
ACADEMIC EDUCATION
2006 Ph.D., Ethnobotany/Plant Sciences/Traditional Ecological Knowledge CUNY Graduate Center, New York Botanical Garden, Major Advisor: Michael J. Balick PhD— “South Asian and Chinese Medical Systems: Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatments for Diabetes mellitus Type 2.” City University of New York, NY
1997 M.S. Human Clinical Nutrition, Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition, Major Advisor: Richard Deckelbaum MD
1996 M.P.H. Masters of Public Health, Columbia University School of Public Health, Population and Family Health
1987 A.B. Smith College, History with a concentration in the Middle East and Arabic
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019 The Multimedia “Cookbook of Gestures,” The Fez Series, Abron Arts Center, NY, NY 13th Jul 2019.
2018 "In/Visible: Portraits of Farmers and Spice Porters of India." A series of large format portraits of Indian women farmers and porters, Kimmel Gallery, New York University, 7th Jun – 7 Sep,
2017 "Migrant Kitchens, Portraits and Short Films, from the Margins," Community Partnership Exhibition Program at Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY. 28 Oct - 3 Dec 2017.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 “Cookbook of Gestures” The Czech Series, Part of the Civic Women Project at The Art Mill Residency, Czechoslovakia, Jul-Aug, 2019
2018 Working Conditions, A Multimedia Cookbook of Gestures, K’ab Gazal at Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia, PA, 4 Sep – 15 Dec, 2018
2011 “Good Eats: An Exhibit About Food,” Juried Art Exhibition, KBAC Gallery, Kalamazoo, MI, April 1–29, 2011
RECENT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sep 2018-Aug 2019, Oct 2017–present Visiting Scholar, Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University.
2014-Present, Multimedia Maker/Scholar, Amrita Simla Flying Productions. We create compelling multimedia content that includes the Indian Women Farmers Series and Migrant Kitchens, The Cookbook of Gestures, and the forthcoming Book of Delights.
2014-Present, Creator, Queens Migrant Kitchen Project with the support of Serendipity Fund, Sillins Foundation, Buenas Obras Fund, Culinary Backstreets, Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC), and Asian American Writers Workshop (AAWW).
2014-15 Fulbright-Nehru Scholar/Journalist in India. In post-production on a series of short multimedia films on India Women Farmers. The first film in the series, Bowing To No One
SELECT TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2019 Summer. Artist/Lecturer, Weekend Block Printing, with Meeta and Sarah, at Kei and Molly Textiles, Albuquerque NM, 7-8 Jul
2018 Summer. Artist/Lecturer, “Natural Indian Block Printing and Dyeing: Creating Contemporary Designs,” Meeta Mastani and Sarah Khan, long-time collaborators, will coteach. They will share the history of traditional Indian block printing and dyeing, in addition to the science, food and medicinal properties of the materials used. Students will research and create designs and blocks, print, and dye a series of scarves (cotton, silk, wool) based on their own narratives and drawings. Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Deer Isle, ME, 29 Jul – 10 Aug.
2014 Summer. Lecturer, “The State of Global Women Farmers.” For five undergraduate students from Smith, Mount Holyoke and Amherst Colleges, I provided guidance to students on food and culture research, created a lecture series, and introduced them prominent scholars in food and culture in NYC, trained students in ARC-GIS for data-driven mapmaking, all in preparation for my Senior Research Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship 2014-15.
BOARDS/COUNCILS/MEMBERSHIPS
Trustee, American Craft Council, 2018-2021 (present)
Advisory Board, Indigo Arts Alliance, Portland ME, 2018-2021 (present)
CURATORIAL
“Soulful Stitching: Patchwork Quilts by Africans (Siddis) in India,” An exhibition of patchwork kawandi. Co-curated by Henry John Drewal, Evjue-Bascom Professor of African and African Diaspora Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Sarah K. Khan, and organized for the Davis Museum by assistant curator Amanda Gilvin. Davis Museum at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA. 13 Feb – 10 Jun, 2018
Khan SK and Drewal HJ, “Tasting Cultures: The Arts of Latino Foodways,” The Tasting Cultures Foundation and Latino Arts, Inc., Milwaukee, WI, Mar-Jul 2011
Khan SK and Drewal HJ, “The Art of African/American Foodways”, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, The College of Charleston, SC, 2 Jun – 1 Nov 2009.
PUBLICATIONS
Anthologies, Edited Volumes
Khan, SK. (forthcoming 2020). “To Sow and To Sew: Siddi Women Farmers (and Quilters) in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India.” Article in edited volume on Africans in South Asia, Edited by Kenneth X. Robbins, Omar Ali, Beheroze Shroff, and Jazmin Graves. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing.
Academic Journal Articles
Khan SK, Karnat, NM and Shankar D. 2005. “India’s Foundation for the Revitilisation of Local Health Traditions Pioneering In Situ Conservation Strategies for Medicinal Plants and Local Cultures.” HerbalGram 68 (Fall), p. 34-48.
RECENT GRANTS, AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, WRITING AND/OR RESIDENCIES
2019 Artist Residency at Indigo Arts Alliance, Portland ME Nov-Dec
2019 Blue Mountain Center Residency Program. Supporting writers, artists and activists in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. 30 Aug – 27 Sep.
2019 Artist Residency, Creating On-Site for Civic Women at The Art Mill, Horaždovice, Czech Republic, 24 Jul – 4 Aug.
2018-19 Visiting Scholar at The Asian/Pacific/American Institute, New York University.
2017 Serendipity Fund. A grant to expand the supershero Amrita Simla and the Indian Women Farmers, and Fez Morocco multimedia (photography and films) projects on women, food, and culture; Migrant Kitchens; and to support post-production, exhibitions, and travel research, Aug - Dec.
2014-15 Nehru-Fulbright Scholars Fellowship in India. Researching “Indian Women Farmers’ Stories in a Changing, Challenging, and Globalized Environment,” and using multimedia storytelling tools to relay the experiences of diverse farmers and vendors across the country.
RECENT LECTURES, FILM SCREENINGS & CONFERENCES
2018 “To Sow and To Sew: Siddi (African) Women Farmers (and Quilters) in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India,” Agro Eco Prospects: The Politics of Integrating Values, Food & Farming, Joint Annual Meeting of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society and the Association for the Study of Food and Society, UW-Madison, Madison, WI, 13-16 Jun.
2018 “To Sow and To Sew: Siddi (African) Women Farmers (and Quilters) in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India,” a multimedia presentation. ReSignifications: The Black Mediterranean Conference, City of Palermo, University of Palermo, 7 - 9 Jun.
2018 “Kawandi: Patchwork Quilts and Siddi Culture.” Join Soulful Stitching co-curator Sarah K. Khan and Davis Museum Assistant Curator Amanda Gilvin for a gallery talk on the African diasporic Indian art of kawandi, patchwork quilts made from saris. With a focus on how the quilts relate to food, culture, and social justice, Khan will discuss her research and film projects on Siddi culture. The Davis Museum, Wellesley College, Wellesley MA. 24 Apr
2017 Siddi (Indians of African descent) Quilting Cooperative Exhibit/Sale, The 2017 International Folk Art Market, Santa Fe, NM, 11-18 Jul.
2017 Presenter on Multimedia Arts and Social Justice. “The Thing That Makes The Thing: Conversations on Craft and Community.” Haystack’s Annual Summer Conference. Thinking through craft and features presenters who come from a variety of disciplines — art, design, architecture, writing, science, and more. Deer Isle, ME, 9-13 Jul.
2017 Part of the “Women and Migrations Working Group,” A working group and interdisciplinary project that examines motives for migration, issues of cultural identity relative to women and global political and cultural movements, with global travel defined in its various forms by participating scholars, journalists, artists and activists. New York University, Villa La Pietra, Florence, Italy, 26-29 Jun.
2017 Siddis in Karnataka, photography and short films of Indian women farmers of African descent (Siddis) and six handmade quilts, part of a larger group show entitled Loving Blackness. Curated by Jaishri Abichandani. Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia PA, 3 Feb – 21 Apr.
