Samer Ghani explains that finding your own personal brand and being an “activist of representation” is the most punk thing an artist can do.
Samer is a visual storyteller who photographs a lot (seriously, a lot) of Milwaukee musicians. He started shooting artists because he realized “I suck at making music,” but also because “if they had good photos, maybe people would start taking them more seriously.” Since 2019, Samer has been a full-time artist, working out of a backpack, editing quickly, and staying true to his honest voice, even when sometimes that means saying “F*ck you, I’m doing it my way.”
About the speaker
Samer Ghani is a first generation Palestinian American, born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Raised in a single mother home and taught through Milwaukee Public Schools, Samer’s first encounter with art was with his time spent at Wedgewood Academy (formerly Bell Middle School), where he played violin and won both National and International awards with his orchestra class. In high school Samer’s senior art gallery of photography was highlighted in an OnMilwaukee article (2011), furthering his future career as an artist in the Milwaukee community. In his adult life Samer excelled in University, but more specifically his time at Apple, he became one of the youngest leaders at his store, helping create an environment of innovation from the customer experience to employee relations.
Samer’s time as an artist has bled into the Milwaukee community and beyond, bringing community initiatives to life with partners like The City of Milwaukee, The Bucks, Visit Milwaukee, Imagine MKE, Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Light the Hoan, Vivent Health, Jigsaw, Hanson Dodge, Bader Rutter, Google Arts & Culture, Universal Music and more, as well as highlighting some of Milwaukee’s best artists in a number of astonishing venues across the city and nation wide.
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