Educational events and workshops
​I offer in-person workshops across the UK and online. My regular classes currently take place in-person at Westbury Arts Centre, in Milton Keynes and The Pen Museum, in Birmingham. In addition to these, I have taught workshops at schools, universities and with private and charitable organisations. Please see details below of previous events.
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If you would like to arrange a workshop for your school, educational establishment or organisation, please do get in touch to discuss your requirements and the services available.
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Email: info@safiraarts.com
Surtal Arts - November 2024
This online class was for Surtal Arts, based in Derby.
During the session we drew an eight-fold pattern from the Taj Mahal. It was a good opportunity to delve into the history and architecture of the monument and look at the patterns that can be found in it.
The session was part of Derby Season of Light, which brought together communities and cultures to embrace festivals including Diwali, Rabi' Al-Awwal, Hanukkah, Bonfire Night, Christmas, and Chinese New Year, which all share the theme of 'light'.
Imran Khan Cancer Appeal
October-November 2024
I returned for a second year to teach online classes with the Imran Khan Cancer Appeal.
This was a six-week course, where participants could do one session or all six.
This time I focused on six-fold patterns starting with a simple pattern in week 1 and building on the skills and complexity by week 6.
Funds raised during the appeal go towards providing cancer treatment to patients at Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Pakistan.
Al-Islamia School, Leicester
April-June 2024
A fun series of school sessions in Leicester! This was a set of six classes with a Year 5 class at Al-Islamia School to teach the basics of lettering, building on their skills every week and ending with a finished piece of work.
The best part of these sessions was seeing how the children’s skills developed each week and how some of the pupils brought their practice sheets they had done as optional homework.
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It was a joy seeing how their confidence and creativity grew during the course of the sessions.
Parables of Light - April-May 2024
I put together three workshops for the Parables of Light project in Leicester.
We started by learning how to draw a variety of geometric patterns. In week 2 we were exploring how each of these patterns and shapes could fit together, painted them and as a group made a finished piece of work.
And in week 3 we selected a pattern to put onto a cube and painted it.
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The completed works from week 2 and 3 were exhibited as part of an exhibition for Parables of Light at Oadby Mosque and Community Centre.
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It was a joy to see how the participants interpreted the patterns and for them to have that lightbulb moment and see how the different variations could fit together in one piece.
Leicester Gallery - March 2024
I ran a workshop at Leicester Gallery for children and their families.
We looked at isometric grids, Islamic geometry and Turkish-style flowers.
This was a fun workshop to put together with lots of different patterns for the participants to try out.
Abu Bakr Al-Ihsaan Academy
March 2024
I spent the day at a school in Walsall working with students in Years 7, 8 and 9.
Each year group had their own workshop on Islamic geometry. We started with a talk about Islamic art, its history and patterns in architecture.
And then each session was adapted to the year group which involved drawing a pattern and colouring it.
University of Warwick
February 2024
I was invited to participate in Discover Islam Week at the University and to contribute to an art exhibition with Warwick Islamic Society.
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As part of the information event, I provided books, artwork, educational materials and provided artwork for a silent auction.
It was part of an event where students were engaging in art, teachings and activities around Islamic art and heritage.
Imran Khan Cancer Appeal
October-November 2023
I
taught six-weeks of Islamic geometry classes online to raise funds for the Imran Khan Cancer Appeal.
The charity raises funds to provide cancer treatment to patients at Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Pakistan.
This was my first time teaching online and a pleasure to work with the charity.
We worked on a different pattern each week for complete beginners, and drew a variety of six-fold and eight-fold patterns.
University Of Birmingham
October 2023
I taught a session on Arabic calligraphy to members of the Islamic Arts and Heritage at the university.
First I showed an overview of the history of calligraphy and the different styles, followed by a demonstration of the tools and writing. The students then had a go at writing for themselves.
Leicester Print Workshop
February-March 2023
I devised a six-week course – Islamic Geometry for Beginners at Leicester Print Workshop.
This was an in-depth course starting with simple patterns, and building on the skills week-by-week to learn more complex patterns.
Students were able to paint patterns each session and had the option of developing them further with variations if they wished to.
During the course we explored different regions and patterns from Mughal, Persian, Ottoman Moroccan and Andalusian periods.
​University of Birmingham - February 2023
I was invited by the Islamic Arts and Heritage Society at the University of Birmingham to deliver a workshop for their members.
During the session I talked about Islamic geometry and then taught them to draw a pattern, and then they got creative and could paint it.
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My favourite part is seeing how people sometimes transform from thinking it's not for them and adamant they are not 'maths people', to finding it's not as difficult as they thought, wanting to recreate it at home and even surprising themselves by enjoying the painting part of it.
The group made some lovely versions of the pattern and even their own variations!
University of Birmingham
September 2022
I was invited to an evening showcasing Islamic arts at the University of Birmingham.
The event included about 80 students from the Calligraphy Society, Islamic Society and Islamic Arts and Heritage Society at the university.
I delivered a talk about the history of Islamic art and architecture and taught a workshop on Islamic geometry.
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The students then created patterns using isometric grids. It was a creative and mindfulness session.
De Montfort University
April 2022
I spent a morning teaching calligraphy to a group of young people at the university. The session was open to the students and their families and it was a mix of ages from 8 to 16 years old.
It was a fun morning teaching lettering and seeing the students create finished pieces of work.
In Praise Exhibition
March 2022
This event was the first major exhibition I had taken part in and it was an honour to be included.
In Praise was a residency of Muslim Women Artists and Poets, from the midlands and beyond.
The aim was to being awareness and appreciation of contemporary Islamic Art to the Leicester art scene, whilst representing the women who created it.
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As part of it I taught two workshops to adults on Islamic geometry as well as two demonstrations to adults and school children on making paints from pigments and rocks.
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