Asad Ali Jafri has over two decades of experience honing an intentional and holistic practice as an arts leader, cultural organizer, producer, and artist. Using a grassroots approach and global perspective, Asad connects artists, communities, and resources across imagined boundaries to create meaningful relationships and sustainable initiatives.

Before joining Kaleidoscope Dreams, Asad was the inaugural Executive Director at the South Asia Institute in Chicago, where he helped establish the institute’s strategy, programs, and exhibitions. Asad has held leadership positions at the Shangri La Museum in Honolulu, where he reimagined public programming and artist residencies, and Words Beats & Life in Washington DC, where he directed an annual festival and built a new fellowship program.

Asad is a co-founder of SpaceShift Collective, a collaborative of artists experimenting with the ways in which we work, live, and create. As a DJ, Asad co-produces Listening While Muslim, a dynamic listening party at the intersection of culture, identity, faith, and politics.