A GLASGOW art student who has survived domestic abuse and overcome all odds to secure a place at one of the most prestigious arts institutions in the world, is appealing for help to meet American visa restrictions so she can take up the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to follow her dreams.
Neha Apsara, who is studying at Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is the first of student there for years to be awarded a place at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) as part of an exchange programme offered in the third year of her fine art photography course.
Told by her tutor it was so competitive there was no point in trying, she was overwhelmed to discover she had successfully secured a place. But her dreams were dashed when she realised she will not be able to secure a student visa unless she can meet at US embassy requirement stipulating she must be able to access $14,000.
She has now launched a crowdfunder and has pledged to donate what she doesn’t need to live in the US to Hemat Gryffe, the first Asian, black and minority ethnic Women’s Aid group. The internationally renowed CalArts is a global leader in contemporary artistic practice and is considered to be “a game-charger” in the education of professional artists offering visual, performing, media and literary arts courses. Set up in 1961 it was originally staffed by diverse professionals including Walt Disney, while famous alumni includes Dustin Hoffman, Tim Burton and Sofia Coppola.
Apsara was disowned by her family after the loss of religious faith and ran away from home when she was 16, finishing school while living with her boyfriend’s family and waiting for accommodation to come up on the housing list. Her work explores her identity as a woman of south Asian heritage.
Originally from Blackburn, in Lancashire, she was delighted to secure a place at Glasgow School of Art while living independently as a young teenager and struggling to navigate the benefit system. For the first six months after leaving home she was living on just £40 a month.
She told the Sunday National: “This arbitrary visa amount of $14,000 has been set by the embassy but I won’t need that. So I’d like the money I don’t spent to go to Hermat Gryffe because I know how it feels to survive domestic violence.
“I ran away from home when I was 16 and it was quite fraught. When I left I struggled to get by without a family to fall back on. But compared to what else I’d experienced getting to Glasgow school of Art seemed straightforward.
“I couldn’t believe that CalArts was one of the many options on the study exchange programme but I was told that in the past three years no-one who had applied had even been considered so I shouldn’t even bother applying. That just made me think: ‘I’ll show you.’”
“CalArts is so pioneering and sadly, because of everything that is going on at GSA just now I don’t feel I’m able to get that education here. Also, as a woman of colour I’d love to learn from the diverse tutors there.”
In May she was told she had a place, but discovered she could not meet the visa requirements. “I had a phone meeting with them and they said they still really want me to come, so they offered me another place next semester to give me more time to raise the money. Now I feel I need to try. I will be forever grateful for anyone who donates to help me achieve this milestone of a goal in my life.”
To donate visit https://uk.gofundme.com/f/help-neha-go-on-exchange-to-her-dream-school
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