Sauda A. Zahra

Sauda A. Zahra is a self-taught fiber artist who has been quilting since 1998. Zahra creates original quilt designs with themes about women, African Americans, historical events, social issues, and music. Her quilting style is primarily focused on narrative quilts. She uses quilting as a vehicle to convey her creative voice by stitching together her inner thoughts and personal experiences into artwork that has been described as rousing and thought provoking. Zahra’s extensive quilt collection includes works about slavery, lynching, Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, Ida B. Wells, Nelson Mandela, President Barack Obama, Trayvon Martin, and Nina Simone.

Zahra has been exhibiting her artwork since 1999, and her quilts have been shown in numerous local, national, international, and traveling exhibitions. Most recently, she has a quilt in the And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations traveling exhibition (2013-2018), curated by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi. Her artwork also appears in several quilt publications and magazines, and is in private collections across the United States. Zahra has had solo exhibitions at the National Humanities Center, Research Triangle Park, NC (2011), City Attorney’s Office, Durham City Hall, Durham, NC (2011), Durham Arts Council Semans Gallery, Durham, NC (2013), and the Warren County Memorial Library, Warrenton, NC (2016).

Zahra is a recipient of the Durham Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant Award (2007). She is a member of the African American Quilt Circle in Durham and the Professional Art Quilters Alliance-South. She resides in Durham, NC.