Zahra Banyamerian

Zahra Banyamerian is a curatorial fellow in contemporary art at the Vilcek Foundation.  In her position, she is responsible for developing exhibition programs of contemporary art and coordinating projects in support of artists in the foundation’s extended network. In this role, Banyamerian works closely with President Rick Kinsel and with the foundation’s curator and the registrar and manager of collections, exhibitions, and facilities to explore the new exhibition and programmatic ideas. Prior to joining the foundation staff, Banyamerian was a senior program officer with the New York Foundation for the Arts, running NYFA’s Leadership Initiatives and Curatorial Affairs programs. 

As a curator, Banyamerian has led the development of several exhibitions and installations for the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her exhibitions—including In a Different Light, Invincible Beings, and Memory Manifests—center and explore concepts of borders, movement, and migration.

Banyamerian completed her Master’s in Art History at the City College of New York; her thesis explored the intersecting roles of nostalgia, politics, and gender in artistic production in Iran. In addition to Banyamerian’s work as a curator and arts administrator, she is trained as a painter and printmaker. She earned her BFA in painting and an MA in art studies from the University of Tehran, and a post-baccalaureate degree in studio art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.