Name: Sohayla Vafai
Studio Address: 10121 Glen Road, Potomac, MD 20854.
Phone number: 301-424-0509.
E-mail address: artgallery2020@aol.com.
Occupation: Artist.
Education: Master of fine arts degree, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Town: Potomac.
Number of years in that town: Seven.
Point of origin: Iran — American citizen.
Current projects and exhibitions: "Book as Art XV," National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.), Road Show (Hyattstown, Md.).
Where do you find inspiration for your art?
Poetry and media and other sources.
What do you hope to communicate to viewers?
Through my works I would like to communicate to viewers freedom of expression or the tragic lack of it.
What are your artistic goals?
My goal is to make film and video installations.
What are you proud to have accomplished?
I can touch the feelings of my viewer through my work.
Community ties/activities:
Teaching art classes at the Potomac Community Center, Rockville Arts Place, private art lessons. Exhibiting my works.
One thing about your community that you enjoy that you don't think most people know about, or something important for a newcomer to know:
I enjoy the once-a-year open houses in the community. It is a beautiful thing to do to let people come to their houses and get to know them and get familiar with their lifestyles.
Favorite activities:
Visiting galleries and museums, going to concerts, movies and plays.
Other favorite things:
My favorite place to take a walk is along the Potomac River.
Favorite place to see the sunset:
My favorite place to see the sunset is by Potomac River and Shenandoah Valley.
A book, movie, vacation or other experience you enjoyed:
Recent vacations that I enjoyed were my trips to Arizona and Cancun.
My most favorite performance was "Leon Ballet" at Kennedy Center.
I enjoyed visiting the Whitney Museum, N.Y., for the 2004 Whitney Bienniel exhibition.
"Wild Strawberries," a 1957 movie by Ingmar Bergman.
I enjoy reading Rumi the 13th-century Persian poet.
Parting Thoughts:
I wish there was some balance economically and politically in the world so that we could better share and enjoy each other's culture, art, and life. In such a world we can breathe more color into our lives than merely black and white.