Above: Award-winning artist Mekbib Gebertsadik speaks with
Washington Post reporter Annie Gowen, re: his new life here.

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Posted: Tuesday, December 28, 2010

New York (Tadias) – The Washington Post’s American Mosaic — an online weekly live Q&A program where reporters talk to local immigrants about their experience in the United States — highlighted Ethiopian artist Mekbib Gebertsadik this past month.

The live video features a discussion with the Arlington, Virginia-based artist regarding his art works, his struggles to re-establish himself as an artist in America and his overall experience as an immigrant.

“Mekbib Gebertsadik is an award-winning artist who immigrated to the U.S. on a diversity visa in 2001 from Ethiopia. He achieved wide-ranging success — living full-time off his art with his own studio — while in his home country, but has had trouble replicating his success here. He now works nights at FedEx,” the show’s introduction notes.

“Mekbib Gebertsadik has created art his entire life. Upon completing his higher education, Mekbib worked as a full-time studio artist, winning an international competition in 2000 in the Netherlands. He moved to the U.S. from Ethiopia with his wife in 2001.”

Watch:

Click here to watch the video at the The Washington Post.

Photo Credit: Lloyd Wolf, courtesy the Columbia Pike Documentary Project.