February 29, 2008
Persian Arts Festival - February 24 - March 16, 2008 - Queens Museum of Art
Persian Arts Festival presents
Weaving the Common Thread: Perspectives from Iranian Artists
On view February 24 - March 16, 2008
Reception, Saturday, March 15, 5-9pm
Queens Museum of Art
In its third successful year as an organization devoted to providing a platform for Persian artists and visionaries, Persian Arts Festival (PAF) has joined forces with the Queens Museum of Art (QMA) to present a groundbreaking exhibition, Weaving the Common Thread, that investigates how contemporary Persian art has been influenced and inspired by the post-revolutionary Iranian Diaspora. Curated by Persian Arts Festival Art Director Pooneh Maghazehe, this collection showcases more than 20 pieces from eight emerging Iranian artists, on view February 24 to March 16 at QMA. A special reception will be held on March 15 from 5 to 9pm, featuring an artist and curatorial talk followed by a Persian New Year (Norooz) celebration with musical soundscapes by DJ Payam and a series of short films.
The impact of the Persian Arts Festival within the Persian community was officially recognized with Mayor Bloomberg's proclamation of March 19, 2006 as "Persian Norooz Day." PAF is proud to continue its tradition of celebrating Iran's rich culture through the arts. Acclaimed by the New York Times as "creating original paintings that are at once engaging and affecting," Samira Abbassy recites internal narratives through mythology and the human body. Negar Ahkami cleverly employs the age-old method of Persian miniature painting as a platform to articulate her "cultural baggage" and to synthesize whimsical narratives that allude to modern day Iran. Similarly, Los Angeles-based artist Arien Valizadeh redefines Persian figurative painting to offer commentary on global societal dynamics. Identity and notions of borders in the work of Sara Rahbar's modified flags breathe new life into textiles created during different eras in Iran, creating overlapping historical timelines. Ali Banisadr depicts death and isolation while simultaneously describing refuge and hope in his grandiose paintings. Khosro Berahmandi's work is rich with fantastic detail and complex dimensions. Pooneh Maghazehe crafts a new context in formal Islamic pattern and grapples with spiritual assimilation, while Anahita Vossoughi's paintings depict a galactic wonderland that recalls Persian mysticism.
QMA is located at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens and is open Wednesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday & Sunday 12pm-5pm. #7 Flushing IRT. Exit Willets Point/Shea Stadium and follow the yellow signs on a ten-minute walk through the park to the museum, which is located next to the Unisphere. http://www.queensmuseum.org/information/
Posted by mayyash at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
The Middle East @ Work: Marketplace Public Radio Programs to Broadcast from the Middle East
March 3-14, 2008: Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Money to Report on Economics, Business and Money in the Middle East
(Los Angeles, Calif.) February 28, 2008—Marketplace®, American Public Media’s™ award-winning daily business and economics news program, today announced that from March 3-14, 2008, the Marketplace portfolio of business programs will be reporting from the Middle East with a special two-week series entitled The Middle East @ Work. Marketplace Morning Report® with host Scott Jagow will broadcast from Cairo, Egypt, March 3-7; Marketplace Money® with host Tess Vigeland will give the American perspective the weekend of March 8-9; and Marketplace with host Kai Ryssdal will report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 10-14.
“No other region affects our pocketbooks, politics and portfolios more. Our tax money, our gas money, even our retirement money—it’s all connected,” said JJ Yore, executive producer of Marketplace and vice president of programming at American Public Media. “Marketplace is excited about this opportunity to provide our listeners original, in-depth stories about why the Middle East matters in the voices of people who study, live and work in the region.”
The Middle East @ Work Story Highlights:
Marketplace Morning Report:
Egyptian Gold Rush—Despite a 4,000-year history of gold mining, Egypt has largely missed out on the gold boom; however, that’s beginning to change now that some foreign companies recently signed deals to begin exploration and the Egyptian government is drafting a new mining code more favorable to outside investors. From Cairo, Marketplace’s Amy Scott speaks with Josef El-Raghy, CEO of Centamin Egypt Limited, an Australian-Egyptian mineral exploration company. Centamin Egypt Limited is building Egypt’s first major modern gold mine in the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea. It is estimated that over 55 million ounces of gold have come from this Red Sea Hills area of Egypt, which makes it one of the biggest gold fields in the world.
Marketplace Money:
Muslim Mortgages—Islam forbids the essential part of any loan—interest. So how does a devout Muslim buy a home? Just ask the largest Islamic mortgage lender in the United States, American Finance House LARIBA. This Pasadena-based company has made money by not charging interest on home loans. So how does it work? Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland profiles American Finance House LARIBA and a family that has received a mortgage. What makes this story more interesting is that finance experts say these mortgages are exactly what should have been offered to non-traditional borrowers, those caught up in the current subprime mortgage mess.
Marketplace:
The Real Emirates—Dubai’s economic success has relied heavily on immigration. The vast majority of immigrants are migrant workers performing manual labor and a large number of white-collar employees are foreign, too. Many of these workers hold key positions in the national airline, real estate, financial services and media. Native-born citizens are thought to make up only around 3.5 percent of the United Arab Emirates’ 2 million people. By 2015, foreigners are expected to make up 99 percent of the population. From Dubai, Marketplace’s Stephen Beard reports on Dubai’s vanishing native-born citizens by asking Emiratis what they think about their country’s massive demographic changes and whether they fear losing their status and identity.
For more information about The Middle East @ Work, visit www.marketplace.org/middleeast.
Support for The Middle East @ Work is provided by Constellation Energy and the Cleveland Clinic.
Posted by mayyash at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)