Kebedech Tekleab
Encyclopedia
Kebedech Tekleab is an Ethiopia
n painter
and poet
.
Tekleab attended the School of Fine Arts in Addis Ababa
, becoming active in the student resistance movement during the revolution late in the 1970s. Fleeing Ethiopia, she became embroiled in the country's war with Somalia
, being imprisoned in a labor camp
for close to a decade. She was released in 1989 and emigrate
d to join family in the United States
, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1992 and her Master of Fine Arts in 1995 from Howard University
. She produced her Punishment Series of works as part of her thesis project "Humanity In Descent: Visual Images Of Human Suffering".
Tekleab has taught at Montgomery College
in Takoma Park, Maryland
, Northern Virginia Community College
, and Howard University. She is currently a Professor of Art at Savannah College of Art and Design
in Savannah, Georgia
.
In 2001, Tekleab worked with Alexander Boghossian
on a commission called Nexus for the Wall of Representation at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington, D.C. The work is an aluminum relief sculpture (365 x 1585 cm) mounted on the granite wall of the embassy. Nexus includes decorative motifs, patterns and symbols from Ethiopian religious traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other indigenous spiritual practices incorporating symbolic scrolls and forms representing musical instruments, utilitarian tools, and regional flora and fauna.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Tekleab attended the School of Fine Arts in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, becoming active in the student resistance movement during the revolution late in the 1970s. Fleeing Ethiopia, she became embroiled in the country's war with Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, being imprisoned in a labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
for close to a decade. She was released in 1989 and emigrate
Emigrate
Emigrate is a heavy metal band based in New York, led by Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead guitarist of the German band Rammstein.-History:Kruspe started the band in 2005, when Rammstein decided to take a year off from touring and recording...
d to join family in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1992 and her Master of Fine Arts in 1995 from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. She produced her Punishment Series of works as part of her thesis project "Humanity In Descent: Visual Images Of Human Suffering".
Tekleab has taught at Montgomery College
Montgomery College
Montgomery College is a public, open access community college located in Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. in the United States. The college has three campuses, the largest of which is in Rockville; the other campuses are in Takoma Park/Silver Spring and Germantown...
in Takoma Park, Maryland
Takoma Park, Maryland
Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City," is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone...
, Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
, and Howard University. She is currently a Professor of Art at Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a private, accredited and degree-granting university with locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France.-History:...
in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
.
In 2001, Tekleab worked with Alexander Boghossian
Alexander Boghossian
Alexander "Skunder" Boghossian was an Armenian Ethiopian painter and art teacher...
on a commission called Nexus for the Wall of Representation at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington, D.C. The work is an aluminum relief sculpture (365 x 1585 cm) mounted on the granite wall of the embassy. Nexus includes decorative motifs, patterns and symbols from Ethiopian religious traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other indigenous spiritual practices incorporating symbolic scrolls and forms representing musical instruments, utilitarian tools, and regional flora and fauna.