Multi-media artist Sama Alshaibi was born in Basra, Iraq to a Palestinian mother and Iraqi father. She immigrated to the US in high school and recently has become an American citizen. She now resides in Tucson, Arizona, where she is an Assistant Professor of Photography at the University of Arizona. Alshaibi received her M.F.A. in Photography & Media Arts at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and her B.A. in Photography from Columbia College, Chicago. Her artwork draws from personal experiences with exile and displacement to discuss the balancing of a hybrid West/East identity while still being responsible to her ancestral heritage. Because of Alshaibi's own history of living in a war and under several dictatorships, she is compelled by the historical and current political landscape of nation-states worldwide, and the impact of war, oppression and injustice has on human life. She strives to create art that engages in a dialogue of these experiences and motivates consciousness toward a more informed perspective.

Recent major photography projects include the series titled Birthright that focuses on Palestinian Diaspora culture and Zaman, a poetic recollection of her family's continual migration in search of a home after fleeing the Iraq/Iran war. In addition to installation, metal work, performance and collaborative interactive media projects, Alshaibi has made numerous time-based works, including a documentary titled Where the Birds Fly, in which she chronicles her journey 'back' to her maternal homeland of Palestine. Alshaibi exhibits both nationally and internationally. Recent and upcoming exhibitions include The University Gallery (Stellenbosch, South Africa), The Museum of Contemporary Art (Denver, CO), El Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española (Guatemala), The International Center of Bethlehem (Palestine) and Al Hoash Contemporary Art Gallery (Jerusalem, Israel). Alshaibi was a fellow at the National Graduate Seminar at The Photography Institute (Columbia University, 2004) and the Center for Humanities and Arts (University of Colorado at Boulder, 2003-2004). Awards include The Gambil Family Endowment Grant, Pima Arts Council Mini Grants and the Illinois Arts Council Award. Her art and writing have been recently featured in Hayden's Ferry Review, Frontiers: A Journal of Women's Studies and American Indian Art Magazine.