Born in Nagoya, Aichi in 1942. Received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). In 1963, Sugiura moved to America in order to entered the SAIC, where she started to produce photographic works under the guidance of professors who followed in the footsteps of New Bauhaus, including Kenneth Josephson, a well-known photographer. After graduating from the school in 1967, she moved to New York and set up a studio in the Chinatown. Up until now, Sugiura has earnestly explored the possibilities of photography and presented a variety of photographic works, including early experimental color photography series, photo-canvas series combining photographs and acrylic paints,  photogram works with familiar plants and creatures, and artist series that symbolically depicts famous artists on photographs using the photogram technique. Currently, she is still based in her studio in the Chinatown, New York and keeps working on new works.