EDUCATION

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), California State University, Long Beach, CA, 2020

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, 2015

 

AWARDS, GRANTS & HONORS

• Artist in Residence, Camera Obscura Art Lab, Santa Monica, CA (2025–2026 cohort)

• Grantee, Professional Artist Fellowship, Arts Council for Long Beach (2024–2025)

• Finalist, Alpine Fellowship Visual Art Prize, 2025

• Finalist, New Voices Artist Cohort, NY Print Center, New York, NY, 2024

• Artist Panelist, Original Sources Artist Cohort, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, 2024

• Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity Award, CSULB School of Art, 2020

• Marilyn Werby Endowed Scholarship, 2019

• John Baldessari Scholarship, 2018

• Public Art Project Commission, designed and created ten murals for the Baharestan Annual Festival for Nowruz, Tehran, Iran, 2016

 

PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Artist Collective Curatorial Member, Monte Vista Projects, Los Angeles, CA, 2025 – Present

Los Angeles–based artist-run collective producing exhibitions and public programs

Collaborates internationally with artist-run spaces and centers and represents underrepresented artists.

• Co-Founder, drawing-house Collective, Long Beach, CA, 2023 – Present

Organized annual figure drawing sessions and managed scheduling and logistics.

• Fine Artist, Icehouse Arts Complex, Long Beach, CA, 2021 – Present

• Developmental and Community Art Instructor, ECF Art Center, San Pedro, CA, 2021 – 2022

• Artist Collective Member, Level Ground Art Collective, Los Angeles, CA, 2021 – 2022

Nonprofit collective led by queer, Black, and Brown artists

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

• Persistence, GWC Art Gallery, Huntington Beach, CA, March 2026

• Revelate, Professional Artist Fellowship Exhibition, Billie Jean King Library, Long Beach, CA, 2025–2026

• Original Sources, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, 2024

• Spring ’24, Icehouse Arts Complex, Long Beach, CA, 2024

• Pieces, Saddleback College Art Gallery, Mission Viejo, CA, 2022 (Solo)

• Please Wait, Saddleback College Art Gallery, Mission Viejo, CA, 2022

• Path, Werby Gallery, CSULB, Long Beach, CA, 2020 (Solo)

• Khor Art Initiative, Saray Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2020

• Insights, Kleefeld Contemporary Museum, Long Beach, CA, 2019

• Fourth Annual Illustration Week, Tehran Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2019

• President House Selection, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 2019

• Made in California, Brea City Art Gallery, Brea, CA, 2019

• All Media Exhibition, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA, 2018

• Talkhun, Tehran Gallery, University of Tehran, Iran, 2016 (Solo)

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TEACHING & ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

• Lecturer, School of Art, California State University, Long Beach, CA, Fall 2022 – Present

• Teaching and Graduate Assistant, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 2017, 2019 

• Art History Research Assistant, CSULB Research Foundation, Long Beach, CA, 2020

• Visiting Artist Coordinator, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 2020

• Visiting Artist, Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA, 2022

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PUBLICATIONS

• Invited Author and Artist (forthcoming), Different Visions, 2026

Essay on women of the Shahnameh, featuring a series of drawings and prints developed through a contemporary engagement with the text.

• Featured Artist, Voyage LA Magazine

“Rising Stars: Sara Hassan Khani of Long Beach,” Jan. 28, 2025

• Featured Artist, Los Angeles Times

“Origin Stories: Artists examine and protect their past at OCCCA,” Oct. 31, 2024

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SKILLS & TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

• Studio Practices: Painting, Drawing, Printmaking (Intaglio, Monotype, Relief), Illustration (Traditional & Digital), Graphic Design (Editorial)

• Teaching & Professional Skills: Curriculum Development, Foundation Instruction, Community Engagement, Workshop Facilitation, Program Coordination

• Software: Adobe Creative Suite, Canvas, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office