Amira M. Davis is a mother, grandmother, artist, scholar, and educator. She’s provided arts-in-education programs in schools and community sites for 30 years. She’s worked for Chicago Urban Gateways and Kansas City Young Audiences and has received monetary awards from the Illinois Arts Council as a master artist on shekere and was a IAC fellowship finalist for her work in making shekeres. She’s also received funding from Chicago Office of Fine Arts, the University of Illinois Office of Public Engagement, the Illinois Humanities Council, and the Urbana Arts Commission. Her most recent community-based initiative, The Community Saturday School is an arts and literacy program for youth and mothers. Amira Davis holds a EdM in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illlinois-Urbana as well as a PhD in Educational Policy Studies with a concentration in African American Studies. She conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of African American Studies in Chicago and London on Saturday supplementary schools. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Amira Davis moved to Champaign-Urbana 17 years ago after living and working in Chicago for over a decade.
Artist at Work: Amira M. Davis
