SELECTED CV
Islam Aly
Book Artist · Papermaker · Educator
Education
2016 · Ph.D., Teaching and Learning / Art Education, University of Iowa
2013 · MFA, Book Arts, University of Iowa Center for the Book
MA and BA, Art Education, Helwan University
Academic appointments
Lecturer of Bookbinding, Design Workshops, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Arts, German University in Cairo
Previously: Assistant Professor of Art Education, University of Northern Iowa; Instructor, Helwan University; Lead Teaching Assistant, University of Iowa.
Selected residencies & lectures
2026 · Boundless Residency, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis
2026 · Goudy Lecture and Workshop, Scripps College, Claremont
2026 · Stiff-Leaf Binding and Variations, San Francisco Center for the Book
2025 · El Anatsui Visiting Artist Fellowship for Africa-Based Artists, Brandywine Workshop and Archives, Philadelphia
Public & private collections
My artists’ books are held in public and private collections across the globe, from Egypt and Europe to Japan, Australia, the Americas, and the Gulf. These include the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt; the British Library in London; the German National Library in Leipzig; the National Library of Chile in Santiago; the University of Sydney in Australia; and Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar in Doha. In the United States, collections include the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Thomas J. Watson Library, the New York Public Library, Yale University’s Haas Arts Library, MIT’s Aga Khan Documentation Center, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art Library, the University of Iowa Libraries, Letterform Archive, and the Walker Art Center.