Sneha Shrestha (artist)

Sneha Shrestha (Nepali: स्नेहा श्रेष्ठ) is a Nepali contemporary visual artist, street artist, educator, and arts administrator. She is known for starting the Children's Art Museum of Nepal, and for her graffiti art, using the handle IMAGINE.

Sneha Shrestha
Born
Other namesIMAGINE
EducationGettysburg College (BA), Harvard Graduate School of Education (MEd),
Occupation(s)Painter, street artist, educator, arts administrator
Websitewww.snehashrestha.com

Biography

edit

Shrestha was born in Kathmandu, Nepal.[1] After graduating in 2010 from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Shrestha moved to Boston, Massachusetts.[1][2] She earned a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2017.[3][4]

Shrestha works at the Mittal Institute at Harvard University, as an arts program manager.[5][6] Her signature for her graffiti work is "IMAGINE," which is her mother's name translated into English.[1]

Career

edit

Children's Art Museum of Nepal

edit

Shrestha founded the Children's Art Museum of Nepal in 2013 with support from World Learning.[7][8][9]

Graffiti

edit

In her graffiti work, Shrestha uses the Nepali alphabet, taking inspiration from Sanskrit scriptures.[5][1][10] Shrestha calls these works "calligraffiti," a portmanteau of calligraphy and graffiti.[11]

She has painted numerous murals in Cambridge and Boston, including "For Cambridge With Love From Nepal," "Saya Patri (The One With A Hundred Petals),"[1][12] "Knowledge is Power" at Northeastern University,[13] and around the world in Kathmandu, Istanbul, and Bali.[10][9]

She has also collaborated with companies including Reebok, as part of their Artist's Collective collection, as well as TripAdvisor, Red Bull, and Boston craft brewery Aeronaut Brewing Company.[2][14]

Awards and honors

edit

In 2018, she was Boston's Artist-in-Residence.[1][3][15] In 2019, she was one of the artists selected for the Boston Museum of Fine Art's Community Arts Initiative Artist Project.[16][17]

Her work is held in the private collections of Capital One, Fidelity Investments, Google, and Facebook.[3]

Exhibitions

edit

Solo exhibitions

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f Shea, Andrea (27 March 2019). "Sneha Shrestha, AKA 'Imagine,' Brings Her Native Alphabet To Boston's Burgeoning Street Art Scene". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Graffiti for good". Gettysburg College. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Imagine". Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Ashcharya: An Exhibition". Harvard Library. 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b Weston, Tori (May 2020). "IMAGINE, May Artist of the Month". Somerville Arts Council. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Alphabets of the Imagination Workshop with Artist IMAGINE (AKA Sneha Shrestha)". Boston Children's Museum. 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  7. ^ "IMAGINE". Pow! Wow! Worldwide!. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. ^ "World Learning Celebrates 2015 Advancing Leaders Fellows in San Francisco". Medium. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b Khvan, Olga (6 November 2013). "Boston Street Artist to Open First Children's Art Museum in Nepal". Boston. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "Golden Equinox". Trustman Gallery Simmons University. 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Simmons University presents "Golden Equinox" featuring work by IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha) [03/27/19]". The Boston Calendar. 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Spotlight: IMAGINE Mural: Saya Patri (One with a Hundred Petals)". Zone 3 Western Ave. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Knowledge is Power". Northeastern University. 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  14. ^ Guy, Ovadia (2 November 2018). "Profile: artist Sneha Shrestha discusses new exhibit at The Distillery Gallery". The Huntington News. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Sneha Shrestha". City of Boston. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Walking Tour with Artist IMAGINE". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  17. ^ Icasiano, Spencer (25 September 2019). "Sneha Shrestha Wants 'Mindful Mandalas' To Be 'A Source Of Pride' For Boston's Young Artists". W-BUR. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Community Arts Initiative: Mindful Mandalas". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. ^ "The Making of "Mindful Mandalas"". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  20. ^ Kryjak, William (30 October 2018). "Went There: Mantra, Sneha Shrestha". BOSTON HASSLE. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
edit