Moh’d Bilbeisi, architect, illustrator, and educator, will lead a hands-on sketching workshop inspired by The Wave, a 55-by-180-foot recycled aluminum installation in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall. Designed by Catholic University of America professor Tonya Ohnstad in collaboration with students, industry partners, and the Museum’s exhibitions team, the installation serves as the primary subject for guided sketching exercises focused on scale, rhythm, light, and material detail. 

The workshop begins with a live demonstration in which Bilbeisi shares his drawing process and foundational techniques for observing and capturing large-scale form. As they sketch The Wave within the context of the Great Hall, participants will explore material innovation, engineering precision, and the relationship between contemporary installation and historic architecture. 

Open to beginners and experienced artists alike, this workshop offers an opportunity to refine sketching skills while engaging closely with a landmark work of contemporary design. 

Supplies 

9 in x 12 in clipboard 8 ½ in x 11 in sheets of sketching paper  

Pilot Precise V7 rollerball pen  

All materials provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own.  

Schedule  

9:30 – 10am: Check-in at F Street Entrance  

10am: Introduction 

10:15am: Sketching Workshop in the Great Hall  

12pm: Workshop Concludes  

About Moh’d Bilbeisi 

Moh'd Bilbeisi is an imaginative professor, architect, book author, illustrator, and watercolorist who is driven by a passion for self-expression through art and illustration. He offers journaling, painting and sketching workshops nationally and internationally, emphasizing the importance of graphic literacy and communication. Bilbeisi is the recipient of many national and international awards in drawing and illustration, including the Ken Roberts Architectural Delineation Competition, the American Society of Architectural Illustrators’ International Competition, and the Design Communication Association William Kirby Lockard Achievement Award. Moh’d is an avid traveler and his passion for travel and cultural multiplicity had taken him to places, near and far. He is often carrying his graphic journal documenting his experiences. He offers journaling, painting and sketching workshops nationally and internationally emphasizing the importance of graphic literacy and communication. Moh’d is also a noted author of several books such as Graphic Journaling and co-author of Words and Colors, Creative Journeys, among others. His illustrations have appeared in numerous publications, books, and journal ads. A selected collection of his work may be viewed at mohdbilbeisiart.com and has a cyber-presence on the social media networks. 

About The Wave 

Suspended in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum, The Wave is a 55-by-180-foot recycled aluminum space frame that demonstrates how advanced material logic and fabrication can shape the next generation of resilient architectural structures. Its lightness and strength reveal how engineering precision and design imagination can coexist in a single form. 

Led by Catholic University of America professor Tonya Ohnstad in collaboration with students and industry partners. The Wave is a full-scale research project demonstrating how material innovation and collaborative fabrication can shape a more sustainable built environment. The exhibition transforms the museum into a place for public discourse and scholarship—inviting visitors to engage with the evolving relationship between structure, material, and design. 

This program is made possible with support from our VISIBLE VAULT sponsors, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Formica Corporation, Ken and Ginny Grunley Family Trust, Beverly A. Willis Estate, Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation, Armstrong Flooring™, a brand of AHF Products, Esri, ShawContract®, CENTRAL BUILDING & PRESERVATION L.P. and Lilly Endowment Inc.