Leila Awadallah Receives 20/20 Artist Fellowship

Leila Awadallah is a Twin Cities artist, born on Dakota and Sioux land with diasporic Palestinian roots. Her artistry is embedded with a commitment to deepening cultural and physical connections with the Levant, reflecting on the politics entangled with identity and investigating contemporary Arab performance located within an American context. 

Leila graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Arabic Language and Literature. She is a cultural activist and performer with Ananya Dance Theatre; a space where her work in art and social justice is continuously explored and nurtured. Additionally, She is a SAGE Award recipient (2016), and her work has been presented by ACDA at the Kennedy Center (2016) and in the BIPOD Festival in Beirut, Lebanon (2017).

20/20 Artist Fellowships include unrestricted cash awards accompanied by professional development stipends to allow POCI artists from any discipline the agency to decide how to use the funding in support of themselves, their businesses, communities and independent creative practices, and do not require recipients to create projects or exhibit artwork.