Artist Talk and Workshop | Calligraphy on the Silk Roads
Date & Time
Location Main Campus | Law Building
Email Your Questions [email protected]
Artist Talk and Workshop | Calligraphy on the Silk Roads
Date & Time
Location Main Campus | Law Building
► This event is sold out.
Master calligrapher Haji Noor Deen returns to the MFAH for a hands-on workshop on the art of calligraphy on the Silk Roads. Using works on display from the Hossein Afshar Galleries for Art of the Islamic Worlds and The al-Sabah Collection at the MFAH, Haji Noor Deen discusses the calligraphic styles, artistic practices, and religious beliefs that traversed Asia along the Silk Roads, which were the trade routes connecting regions and cities including Damascus, Tabriz, Samarkand, Xi’an, and Beijing.
An expert in Sini calligraphy, an Arabic script unique to Chinese lands, Haji Noor Deen is accompanied by his son, Jimmy Ahmed Mi, a trained calligrapher in the Arabic scripts of Thuluth and Naskh. Following artist talks and demonstrations, guests have the opportunity to create their own calligraphic works in traditional Arabic and Sini calligraphy.
The program is open to art enthusiasts of all ages, including families with children.
Tickets | SOLD OUT
- $10 per person. Museum admission is required in addition to the workshop ticket.
Plan Your Visit
- This workshop takes place in the classroom on the Lower Level of the Law Building.
- Parking Information | Museum Hours | MFAH Campus Map
About the Artists
Haji Noor Deen Mi Guang Jiang is a world-renowned master of Arabic calligraphy. The first Chinese person to be awarded Certificate of Arabic Calligrapher in Egypt, he has developed a style that fuses Chinese and Arabic arts. Born in 1963 in Shangdong province, China, he brings an immense learning in traditional thought and Islamic art to a modern audience, juxtaposing them in a new calligraphic style all his own, both Eastern and Western. Haji Noor Deen has presented lectures and workshops at institutions around the world, including the MFAH in 2019 and 2025.
Jimmy Ahmed Mi, Haji Noor Deen’s son, has studied under several masters of Chinese and Ottoman calligraphy, receiving training at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Egypt. In 2025, he earned the icazet (certification) in Thuluth and Naskh scripts under the guidance of Ferhat Kurlu and Mümtaz S. Durdu. He has taught workshops at institutions around the world, including the Deen Arts Foundation, South Africa, and the MFAH.
MFAH World Faiths Initiative
This program is part of the MFAH World Faiths Initiative, which seeks to highlight themes of faith, religion, and spirituality in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Focusing on the many expressions of faith in these collections, the initiative honors the diverse communities of Houston and inspires connections among cultures and beliefs.
Email Your Questions [email protected]