Our team. Old school meets new school, with a creative team as creatively varied
as our projects at MIPSTERZ.
ABBAS RATTANI
Founder, Filmmaker, Producer
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Abbas Rattani is an award-winning film director, producer, and process artist at MIPSTERZ. He has over a decade of experience advancing marginalized minority artistic contributions through cross-collaboration, interdisciplinary programming, scholarly publications and teaching, art exhibition design, and successful art grant-funding. His work has been exhibited at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, THE SHED, Carnegie Hall, Tribeca Film Festival, Museum of the City of New York, and Cooper Hewitt. His 2013 "Somewhere in America" film had an international cultural impact, and his recent "ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM" film (2022) was selected for multiple festivals and inspired an international conference and exhibit of the same name funded by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. He can be found roaming the streets of Boston, MA in an oversized airport jacket or by email.
SHIMUL CHOWDHURY
Artist, Maker, Educator
Shimul Chowdhury is a new media artist and Assistant Professor of Immersive Media at Chatham University. She studied Art + Technology at the University of Florida and holds an MFA in Digital Arts and New Media from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In her practice, Shimul is most interested in creating participatory works or experiences that initiate and invite dialogue with the audience. She centers her own lived experiences as a Muslim US American in her work, aiming to create and build community and solidarity with participants and viewers. Shimul can be found knitting and stitching in Pittsburgh, PA or via email.
YUSUF SIDDIQUEE
Producer, Co-founder, Musician
Yusuf Siddiquee is a lifelong musician, leader in arts organizing, and co-founder of MIPSTERZ. He has produced and curated dozens of community experiences blending mixed media presenters and interactive performance art for stages large and small—including the Shed, Kennedy Center, NorthStar Church of the Arts, and Public Space One. His original music has been featured in award-winning short films shown worldwide, and he has worked with major arts and culture hubs in New York City for over a decade. As an alumnus of the NYFA Emerging Leaders Program and NEW INC Cultural Incubator, he believes in the power of building cultural legacies through the arts and is dedicated to helping artists thrive. Most recently, Yusuf co-directed the prestigious Building Bridges grant from the Doris Duke Foundation to develop the collective's largest project to date, the ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM exhibition and archive. He can be found drumming on any surface in Brooklyn, NY or by email.
AISHA JEMILA DANIELS
Visual Artist, Designer
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Aisha is a visual artist born in Miami, Florida. She has trained and worked in the field of visual arts for over nine years, having exhibited and done collaborations in Africa, the Middle East, North America, Central America, and Europe. Aisha holds a BFA in Photography from Howard University and an MFA in Design Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in Doha, Qatar. She can be reached via email.
SARA ALFAGEEH
Creative Consultant, Illustrator
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Sara Alfageeh is an award-winning illustrator and creative director working to redefine what we expect Muslim protagonists to look like. She is a graduate of Lesley University College of Art & Design in Illustration and has produced artwork for Star Wars, BBC, Hank Green, Google, Marvel Comics, NYU Game Center, Chronicle Books, Harvard University, etc. Her graphic novel, “Squire” will be released under Harper Collins in 2021. She brings her expertise in illustration, art design, visual art, social media engagement, and crowdfunding to the “ALHAMDU” project.
She can be reached if you place a fresh cup of chai at dawn while humming out of tune, or by email.
HEBA HABIB
Journalist, Filmmaker
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Heba Habib has worked as a freelance journalist for a number of international publications & was for several years a reporter for The Washington Post, covering the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. She has also worked as a screenwriter, translator, researcher, TV producer and director. She can be reached via email.
ALIYA KLEIN
Writer, Musician, Chaos Coordinator
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Aliya Klein is a marketing professional with experience in community engagement, field marketing, and production management. She has worked with PEN America and is currently on the Alumni Advisory Board of Young Artists of America -- a youth group for musical theatre -- where she volunteers with mentorship activities and masterclasses for students. Aliya holds a B.A. in Religion (concentrating in Islamic Studies) and Political Economy from Williams College. She also worked in the Religious Studies department at her alma mater, researching and collecting personal stories about navigating relationships to Islam in the face of growing prejudice, artistic and spiritual expression, and the establishment of small-scale community financial systems. In college, you would find her sitting in tech rehearsals as a scenic designer, props designer, stage manager, or pit instrumentalist. Today, you'll find her exploring the street art adorning Bushwick, Brooklyn, or by email.
AHMED AMER
Community Organizer, Coffee Science Guy
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Ahmed Amer (@thatkalb) lives in Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to community building through Karavansarai, Ahmed enjoys meeting new friends over coffee and poetry, beat-making, and writing. He can be reached via email.