Abdi Roble is good friend and mentor to many in the Somali Community. The picture above was taken during his books signing in the Columbus art museum. Abdi heads the Somali Documentary Project, this project captures the lives as they transition from the refugee camps to resettlement in America as they came across different endeavours. He also, advocates for the Somali refugees in Malta and Dadhaab. As an concern advocate he raise money to deliver to the refugee camp in Dadhaab.
ABDI ROBLE RECEIVES FIRST RAYMOND J. HANLEY FELLOWSHIPFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Emily Swartzlander (614) 221-8492 Columbus, Ohio - Columbus artist Abdi Roble will receive the first $10,000 fellowship named in memory of former GCAC President Raymond J. Hanley, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Columbus Arts Endowment announced today. An anonymous panel of judges, along with the trustees of the Columbus Arts Endowment, chose Roble as the inaugural recipient of the Raymond J. Hanley Fellowship, an award for an individual artist who lives or works in the Columbus area and who has demonstrated an unusual level of achievement. The fellowship is administered by GCAC and supported through the Hanley Arts Fund of the Columbus Arts Endowment, created upon Hanley's death in 2006. Roble, a Somali native, is an acclaimed photographer and founder of the Somali Documentary Project, which uses photography to produce an archive of the Somali Diaspora. Along with project partner Doug Rutletdge, Roble's hope is to draw international attention to the plight of Somalia, educate Americans about these new immigrants and provide Somalis with a photographic record of their early experience in this country. Through the Somali Documentary Project, Roble has exhibited work at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis, the Columbus Museum of Art and more. Last year, Roble and Rutledge published a book that included work from the Somali Documentary project entitled The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away. Roble is also the creator of the African American Photographers of North America and the Focus Group. His exhibitions include One Month in Europe with Leica, Leica Portrait of Cuba and Japan: A Leica Perspective. Roble has won individual artist fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. The annual Raymond J. Hanley Fellowship, created last year, will go to an artist who has demo...
http://www.gcac.org/about-gcac/press-room.php?id=156
Enjoy as always...keep the heritage alive
I had a chance to see his work last year, and I should say that I was very impressed by his photographic skills. All those pictures had a story to tell and I believe it is essential for Somali artists to follow Abdi's footsteps and document the plight of the Somalis in the diaspora. Those works will be valuable to the coming generations.
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