Palestinian artist, scholar and art historian Samia Halaby is known for her abstract works, which are drawn from a deep and long standing interest in the act of seeing and visual perception itself. Her abstractions are often inspired by nature and in particular, the native trees of Palestine. Halaby, who lives in New York, was raised in Yafa until her family immigrated to Lebanon after the occupation of Palestine in 1948, and in 1951, she moved to Ohio in the United States. She earned an MFA in painting from Indiana University and was the first full-time female associate professor at Yale University School of Art, a position she held for nearly a decade. Through her art, writing and curating, Halaby has actively advocated for the rights of Palestinians and raised awareness about their struggle. Palestine as subject matter enters into her abstract works, some of which are inspired by the textures of Palestine and others titled to refer to the landscape of her homeland. In the 1980s, Halaby experimented with computer-generated painting, known as kinetic art. Halaby has held many solo exhibitions in the United States and abroad, and her paintings are held in several museum collections, including the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, The British Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Detroit Institute of Art.