Accreditations
2015- ongoing Student of Mohamed Zakariya in thuluth and nesih scripts, Virginia USA
2025-2026 Heid Research Fellow, University of Michigan
2025 Independent intensive under the guidance of calligraphy masters, Istanbul
2023 Meetings with Masters Intensive, Istanbul
About The Artist
Mariam Lodin is a Maryland based multidisciplinary artist focusing on traditional Islamic calligraphy. A northern Virginia native, Mariam began her artistic journey as a graffiti artist, completing murals around the globe, from New York to Lebanon. Her mural and commission work made its way from English to Arabic as she found a need to represent her heritage through the traditional art space of Islamic calligraphy. Beginning in 2003, a meeting with Chinese calligrapher Haji Noordeen Mi Gujiang shifted her interests from graffiti to more traditional methods of calligraphy. After sporadic lessons, she began her studies in the Ottoman method of Islamic hatt (calligraphy) with the renowned master Hoca Mohamed Zakariya. Currently in the process of receiving her ijazah (or diploma), Mariam has worked with many artistic and educational institutions, such as The Smithsonian Institution, The Ford Foundation, The Embassy of Qatar, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, Wolf Trap’s Center for the Performing Arts, The Phillips Collection, The Washingtonian, Roots: A Qalam Initiative, Scripts n’ Scribes, ICNA, ISNA, The Diyanet Center of America, and The American University.
Work Experience and Collaborations
5 Pointz Aerosol Arts Center, New York City NY
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian and Islamic Art, Washington DC
Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington DC
The Ford Foundation, New York City
The Philip’s Collection, Washington, D.C.
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
Embassy of Qatar, Washington D.C.
Qatar American Institute for Culture, Washington D.C.
Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, Washington D.C.
Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, Vienna VA
Gaithersburg Community Museum, Gaithersburg MD
The Washingtonian, Washington D.C.
Turquoise Mountain
The American University, Washington D.C.
George Washington University, Washington D.C.
George Mason University, Fairfax VA
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
Roots: A Qalam Initiative Dallas, Texas
Scripts n’ Scribes
Islamic Circle of North America
Islamic Society of North America
Edde Sands Cafe Byblos, Lebanon
T. Rowe Price, Owings Mill MD
Azzad Asset Management, Falls Church VA
Fannie Mae, Reston VA
The Diyanet Center of America, Lanham MD
Islamic Community Center of Laurel, Maryland
MAV Youth, Dar Al Noor Mosque Woodbridge, Virginia
Masjid Ibadur-Rahman, Springfield, Virginia
Dar al Taqwa Columbia, Maryland
Tarbiyya Academy, Maryland
Sanabil Academy, Maryland
Highland Springs High School Highland Springs, Virginia