(PHOENIX, AZ) – Former Phoenix College ESL student and Persian artist, Susan Nasr is making a name for herself in the Valley of Sun. While her unique artwork has adorned gallery walls around the world including countries such as Iran, Italy, Croatia, France, and the United Arab Emirates, today her paintings are on display in several cities across the United States.
Nasr’s style is inspired by her Persian culture. From Isfahan, Iran, Nasr received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in 1995. During her course of study, she found her niche by reviving a historic Persian art known as Ghalamkar.
“This old art had lost its luster in the course of about 100 years,” Nasr said. “It began with painting, and later on, it had changed to printing. I did my best to revive this art by painting first, and then later on printing it.”
After graduating in 1995, she began teaching art to high school students in Iran. While teaching, Nasr’s artwork did not go unnoticed. She describes one of her most rewarding experiences.
“One day I was teaching, and the Minister of Guidance approached me and invited me to have a show in Zahedan, Iran. This exhibition included poems, literary pieces and art,” Nasr added.
Nasr would soon realize that there would be many more rewarding experiences throughout her life. In 2008, Nasr moved to the United States, and in 2013, she moved to the Phoenix area and immediately registered for ESL classes at Phoenix College.
“Learning English has had a great impact on my life,” she said. “I think I started in Level II or Level III of ESL. I have been lucky to have the best teachers. They have motivated me greatly to pursue my education. It’s important for other ESL students to learn English to open the doors of a new world.”
Today, Nasr is opening doors to a new world, full of opportunities. She is studying interior design at Phoenix College and focusing on painting and designing jewelry. She chose interior design because she believes it is the counterpart to conceptual arts.
“I would love to have a job in a design office one day,” she added. “When I create art, it gives me assurance that I have a great goal in life, and I am being a useful person to our community and to all those I love.”
In 2019, Nasr had the opportunity to create a special painting for an event at Phoenix College. Nasr’s donated painting was not only on display throughout the 2019 Maricopa Community College District Diversity Awards Ceremony, but her work was also later auctioned off to raise funds for student organizations at Phoenix College.
While Nasr is inspired by nature and Persian art, she hopes that others will be inspired by her artwork.
“I would love for my paintings to adorn people’s homes, offices, and organizations,” she mentioned. “I look forward to advancing my art and becoming well known in the international world of arts. I strive for the day that my art would be the talk of all the art lovers.”
Like many former ESL students, Nasr took advantage of the variety of ESL courses offered at Phoenix College to advance her career. The ESL program at Phoenix College is a launching pad to many non-native English speakers, who need to develop their listening, speaking, reading, or writing skills before taking that next step in their careers.
To view more of Susan Nasr’s artwork, please visit her blog at: https://susannasr2017.hpage.com/gallery.html.
The ESL program at Phoenix College offers students one of the most diverse language learning programs in Arizona. Our ESL students come from more than 100 different countries, speaking 50 different languages. Additionally, the ESL Program at Phoenix College offers the most variety of classes of any of the 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District from Basic English to Freshman Composition and Research. Students may enroll in ESL classes now by going to www.phoenixcollege.edu/esl or calling (602) 285-7375.