SUGHRA HUSSAINY

EDUCATION 

2020 August -now, studio residencu at vis arts 155 Gibbs St, Rockville, MD 20850 

2018-2020, Master of Fine Arts, Community Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, MD. Full graduate scholarship. 

2016, 2.5 years of Bachelor of Fine Arts program, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan  

2014, Associate Degree, Turquoise Mountain Institute, Kabul, Afghanistan  

2014, Artist Fellowship, Miniature painting class with master Khadim Ali, Turquoise Mountain Foundation, Kabul, Afghanistan       

RECENT ENGAGEMENT  

Training - Quality Assurance Analyst And Business Analyst  

Following my interest in getting in technology I have undergone a training where I have learned a lot in the QA Testing and Business Analyst including : 

-Test multiple web properties across various browsers  

 - Communicate with development team to understand architecture, resolve issues or questions regarding functionality.  

- Test on multiple platforms and databases.  

- Ensure that projects/releases are delivered on time with high quality.  

- Participate in preparation of test documentation (Test Strategy, Test Plan, Test Cases and RTM).  

 - Perform smoke, functional, integration and regression testing.  

- Assist web team in analyzing reported issues and providing extensive detail for the development team. 



MAJOR PROJECTS /WORK EXPERIENCE 

2019, June-August  Graphic Design Internship and Artist in Residence, Kelly Associations Insurance Group, Maryland. 

Artist Residency  

2018-2019, Oct. – May, Julio Gallery, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD 

       Associated Activities: 

2018, Nov. 29 - Dec. 19, Solo Exhibition, Behold How Eloquent I Am in My Silence: The Art of Sughra Hussainy, Julio Fine Art Gallery, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore; curator: Megan Rook-Koepsle works included 

2017, Mar. 2, Public Lecture with PPT Presentation, Fourth Floor Programming Room, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD 



Community Outreach: 

2019, May 8, after school workshop with Govans Elementary School at Loyola   

2019 May 2, after school workshop with Govans Elementary School at Loyola   

2019, Feb. 13 – May 1, series of nine weekly two-hour Tea Talks; drop-in tea and treats plus art activities  

2019, Apr. 25, Calligraphy workshop for Loyola community 

2019, Apr. 25, visit Women and Gender in the Middle East History classes, Prof. Sara Scalenghe 

2019, Apr. 25, visits with Prof. Sara Scalenghe's History classes 

2019, Apr. 24, after school workshop with Govans Elementary School at Loyola  

2019, Apr. 11, Calligraphy workshop for Loyola community 

2019, Mar. 28, 6:30pm, Roundtable Discussion with Sobia and Sepideh 

2019, Mar. 15, Class Visits with Prof. Stephen Park's class: The Stranger: Literature and the Ethics of Hospitality 

2019, Mar. 13, Calligraphy workshop for Book Arts and Artists’ Books class, Prof. Janet Maher 

2019, Feb. 28, Philosophy class visit, Prof. Mavis Biss 

2019, Feb. 27, after school workshop with Govans Elementary School at Loyola  

2019, Feb. 20, bookmaking workshop with Prof. Lucas Southworth's Writing class 

2019, Feb. 20, presentation to Women in Art class, in Julio Gallery, Prof. Letty Bonnell 

2019, Feb. 15, short presentation in Arabic Language class 

2018, May 24, one day geometric design workshop, Gilman High School, Towson, MD 

2017, Sept. 29,geometric design workshops for Two-Dimensioinal Design classes, Prof. Janet Maher 

 
Thou Art Project  

2017, Spring, a community poetry book project in collaboration with artist Sushmita Mazumdar, proprietor of Studio Pause. I created hand painted framing illustrations for 26 pages of writing. (http://studiopause.com/projects/thouart/) Associated Activities: 

2017, June, Make your Mark: The Power in Your Hands, collaboration project through Studio Pause, Arlington, VA  

2017, May 30 -  June 16, Thou Art: The Beauty of Identity Exhibition, Virginia Humanities, Charlottesville, VA, exhibition of Thou Art project  

2017, April, Thou Art: The Beauty of Identity, Arlington, VA  

2017, May Buckingham Youth Brigade, Studio Pause, Arlington VA  

2017, May, Arlington Weaves Etc, Studio Pause, Arlington VA  

2017, April, Arlington Poetry Fest, Central Library, Arlington, VA  

2017, Feb. – Mar., Open Studio with Sughra Hussainy, six-session illumination class, Studio Pause, Arlington, VA 

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Exhibition 

2016-2017, Mar.-Oct., Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan, exhibition at Arthur M.  

Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; curator: Dr. Thomas Wide Associated Activities, Freer & Sackler Galleries: 

2019, Oct. 20 – Dec. 14, Calligraphy workshops  

2019, Oct. 19 – Dec. 14, Illumination workshops  

2019, July - August, Eastern Arabic, Persian Calligraphy and Afghan Manuscript Illumination, six-session course, Smithsonian Associates, Washington D.C. 

2018, Oct. 13, Exploring Eastern Calligraphy workshop  

2018, Aug.18, workshop at  smithsoin muesum freer and cuckler :Grace  

2018, January – March,Exploring Eastern Calligraphy: Arabic, Persian and Devnagari, eight-week course, Smithsonian Associates, Washington D.C  

2018,  Introduction to Afghan Manuscript Illumination, six-session course, Smithsonian Associates, Washington D.C.  

2017, July,Turning the Page Summer Workshop for Families, Washington D.C.  

2016, Oct.  

2016, March, Art demonstrations at Freer and Sackler Galleries of Art, Washington D.C.  

ADDITIONAL EXHIBITIONS 

2020, February Blahekurst community,    

2019, August, Studio Pause, Arlington, VA; curator: Sushmita Mazumdar 

2019, March, Asia North Festival, group exhibition Motor House, Baltimore, MD;  

2018, Sept. 7-Dec. 8, Asia in Maryland: Expressing Cross-Cultural Experience, Asian Arts Gallery, Center for the Arts, Towson University, Towson, MD;  

2017, April – May Thou Art: The Beauty and Identity in Words and Color, Unitarian  

Universalist Church of Arlington, VA;  

2014, Painting, A Backward Glance, National Museum, Kabul, Afghanistan  

Painting, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, UK​  

Paintings and Hand-painted Jewelry, Foyles Gallery, London, UK  

2013, Selsela e Salsal, Marefat Art Gallery, Kabul, Afghanistan  

AWARD 

2014, First place, Mir Ali Herawi art competition, Turquoise Mountain Institute, Kabul Afghanistan   

MEDIA  

2018 " https://www.baltimoresun.com/.../baltimore.../towson/ph-tt-afghan-artist-0704-story.ht...    

2017, Aug. 25,Not Just for Kids: Our Journey to Turquoise Mountain,blog post onReading Rockets/WETA; Canter, Ellie (Photographs) https://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/book-life/not-just-kids-our-journey-turquoise-mountain 

2017, June,Make your Mark: The Power in Your Hands, Arlington Cultural Affairs, Arlington, VA; artwork 

featured for collaboration project  

http://studiopause.com/projects/makeyourmark/ 

2017, June, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Global Virginia, The Road from Afghanistan; Berringer, David, (Feature about Thou Art project, video and photographs) http://virginiahumanities.org/2017/04/the-road-from-afghanistan/ 

2017, April, Thou Art: The Beauty of Identity, a collaboration with Sushmita Mazumdar, StudioPause.com web site about the project, http://studiopause.com/projects/thouart/ (Photographs) 

2017, March 1, Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; curator’s tour, Dr. Thomas Wide (Featured from 2:43 3:46 in video), 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rylQ3_5mCvw 

2016, Nov.10, United States Institute of Peace, Can Afghanistan Write New Future in Calligraphy?; Levkowitz, Joshua (Featured photograph), 

https://www.usip.org/blog/2016/11/can-afghanistan-write-new-future-calligraphy 

2016, May 14, National Public Radio,Watch An Afghan Calligrapher’s Gifted Hands Create A Miniature Work Of Art, Maanvi Singh (Feature), 

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/05/14/469959203/video-the-taliban-hated-her-art-but-she-became-an-artist-anyway 

2016, April 2, The Friday Times, Pakistan’s First Independent Weekly Paper, Features, Recreating old Kabul in down town Washington DC: The Turquoise Mountain; Momina Aijazuddin (Photograph), 

https://www.thefridaytimes.com/the-turquoise-mountain/ 

2016, Mar. 22, Smithsonian Magazine, Women Artisans Transforming Afghanistan Have a Major Booster in a Former First Lady; Glusker, Anne (Featured photograph), 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/women-artisans-transforming-afghanistan-major-booster-former-first-lady-180958523/