Story & Lesson Highlights with Soheyla Rashidyan of Plano

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Soheyla Rashidyan. Check out our conversation below.

Soheyla, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, spending time working on my art projects and visiting local museums has been bringing me a lot of joy. Creating something with my hands helps me relax and stay inspired, and being around art always gives me new energy and ideas.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Soheyla Rashidyan, and I am a mixed-media artist and the Founder/Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary Visual Art (MOCVA) in Plano, Texas. My work and my organization are rooted in the belief that art should be accessible, joyful, and connected to community.
At MOCVA, I curate exhibitions that bring together professional artists, children, families, and diverse cultural traditions. Our museum celebrates creativity in all forms—painting, sculpture, textiles, immersive installations, and community-based projects. What makes our story unique is that MOCVA began from a personal vision and grew into a living, growing cultural space shaped by collaboration, education, and the power of art to inspire people of all ages.
Today, I continue developing new exhibitions, cultural partnerships, and creative programs that support both emerging and established artists while building a vibrant art community in North Texas.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship that most shaped how I see myself is my lifelong connection with children and their way of seeing the world.
From a very early age, I realized that children create without fear, without judgment, and without the desire to impress—and that purity has always stayed with me. Their honesty, their imagination, and their emotional courage became a mirror for me, showing me who I truly was beyond expectations and roles.
As I grew older and eventually founded MOCVA, I understood that this relationship was not just inspiration—it was a foundation. Working with children’s art, teaching, watching them express themselves freely, all helped me see parts of myself that I had forgotten: playfulness, bravery, and the ability to find beauty in small, simple moments.
This connection shaped not only my identity as an artist but also my purpose. It taught me that creativity is a way of living, not just making art, and that my role is to protect, celebrate, and amplify the childlike spirit that still exists in all of us.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes—there were several moments in my life when I almost gave up, but one stands out more than the rest.
Starting over in a new country, rebuilding my life from zero, raising a family, and trying to stay connected to my identity as an artist felt impossible at times. There were years when I carried everything alone—responsibilities, financial pressure, uncertainty—and I questioned whether my dreams had a place in my reality.
But something inside me refused to disappear. Each time I reached a breaking point, art became my way back to myself. Creativity gave me strength when nothing else did. Over time, I realized that I wasn’t just surviving—I was slowly building something meaningful. That belief eventually led me to create MOCVA, a space born from resilience, imagination, and a deep desire to give others the hope I once needed.
I didn’t give up because I learned that even in the darkest moments, there is always a small light—sometimes it’s creativity, sometimes it’s courage, sometimes it’s just the decision to try one more day. That choice changed my entire life.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The project I am committed to, no matter how long it takes, is building MOCVA into a lasting cultural home where creativity is accessible to everyone.
I believe deeply in the transformative power of art: its ability to heal, to connect people, and to remind us of our shared humanity. This belief has carried me through years of challenges, rebuilding, and starting from zero. Even on the hardest days, I never lost sight of the vision that a community-centered art space could change lives.
MOCVA is more than a museum to me; it is a lifelong commitment. I am dedicated to nurturing a place where children, emerging artists, and established creators can express themselves freely and feel seen. I want MOCVA to grow slowly, honestly, and with integrity—even if it takes years—because meaningful cultural work cannot be rushed.
My commitment is simple:
Continue building this space of imagination, inclusion, and hope… for as long as it takes.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people remember me as someone who built a space where creativity felt like home.
Not because of titles or accomplishments, but because I created places, both through my art and through MOCVA—where people felt seen, welcomed, and inspired.
I hope the story they tell is that I believed in the beauty of children’s imagination, and that I worked to protect that purity in a world that often forgets it. That I dedicated my life to helping others express themselves, especially those who didn’t think they had a voice.
If people say that I brought warmth, hope, and possibility into the community…
If they say that I turned small moments of creativity into something lasting…
If they say that I built MOCVA with love, courage, and a genuine desire to make art accessible to everyone…
Then that is the legacy I want to leave behind.
I don’t need the story to be big.
I just want it to be true:
She created a place where imagination could live.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mocva.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mocvamuseum/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soheyla-rashidyan-68a64865/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mocva.org/ https://www.facebook.com/Soheyla/

Image Credits
Nick Gharivand
Mike Korman