Sughra Hussainy is one of the foremost living practitioners of Persian calligraphy and illumination, a tradition with roots in the manuscript ateliers of the medieval Islamic world and among the oldest continuously practiced art forms in Central Asia. Trained in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has banned music, sculpture, and figurative art, and where women have been squeezed out of nearly every public creative space. Grinding her own pigments from lapis lazuli and madder root, she works by hand with materials and methods largely unchanged for centuries, carrying the tradition from Kabul to institutions including the Smithsonian. In this live demonstration, watch her draw pigment and line by hand. A rare chance to see a centuries-old tradition practiced in real time and against odds.
The Talent Equation: Building the Workforce for Economic Growth
As economies compete to attract investment, expand critical industries, and strengthen their global competitiveness, access to skilled talent is becoming as important as capital and infrastructure. Yet employers across sectors face persistent workforce shortages, while traditional education and training systems…
