Fundraising
Event at Persian Center on Oct. 12, to raise $350,000
Persian
Center (www.persiancenter.org) will be hosting an
Auction Benefit, featuring 18 Iranian-American artists from the Bay Area, on
Sunday, October 12, 2003, from 3-6 p.m. at 2029 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA
94704. The afternoon will include an auction featuring precious Persian
Carpets and Jewelry, while enjoying Persian hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.
Tickets, which are $150 per person, can be purchased by calling 510-848-0264 or
sending email to info@persiancenter.org. The art exhibition featuring
Taraneh Hemami's "Hall of
Reflections" project, will be open to public from 7-9 on the same
day. Other artists include
Seyed Alavi: Conceptual
Art
(http://www.netwiz.net/~here2day/shomepage.html),
Koorosh Angali: Painting
(http://www.angali.com/),
Kourosh Bahar: Painting,
Rana
Bastabi: Sculpture,
Ali Dadgar: Silkscreen
painting
(http://www.iranian.com/Dadgar/2003/September/New/index.html),
Mehdi Fallah:
Calligraphy
(http://www.qoqnoos.com/body/caligraphy/MFALAH/master.htm),
Iranshid Ghadimi:
Painting
(http://www.iranian.com/Arts/July97/Ghadimi/index.html),
Azar Golara: Painting,
Mohammad
Hourian: Persian Miniature Painting
(http://www.hourianart.com/),
Sara Iravani:
Paintings
(http://www.sarakahn.com/),
Mokhtar Paki:
Painting
(http://www.mokhtarimage.com/),
Azra Safai: Decoupage,
Sid Sarshar: Photography
(http://www.sarshar.com/),
Mona Shomali: Painting
(http://www.iranian.com/Arts/2003/March/Shomali/1.html),
Soufi: Persian Calligraphy,
Hadi
Tabatabai: Painting
(http://home.earthlink.net/~homah/),
Termeh Yeghiazarian: Painting
(http://www.aagift.com/artist/termeh/politics.htm),
Avideh Zahedi: Ceramic
(http://www.iranian.com/Arts/Sept97/Zahedi/), Zaman
Zamani:
Painting
(http://made-in-iran.com/zamanzamani/zamani2.htm).
Taraneh, who spearheaded the assemblage (http://www.calhum.org/programs/story_reflections.htm), shared that "the artists have collectively joined ands in support
of their community and fellow artists, and plan to donate a portion of the
proceeds to the Persian Center, which in turn has supported art initiatives to
bring art to our community."
The goal of the event is to raise $350,000
to pay-off the remaining loan balance on the three-story Victorian building the
organization purchased in 2000. In the past couple of weeks, thousands of
dollars have poured in and $25,000 of the loan has already been paid down.
The event chair, eleven-year old Sheila Malek Tabrizi, who has generously
donated $10,000 to Persian Center, plans to rally all generations into donating
to the community's only educational/cultural home. Born and raised in the
United States, Sheila who has never visited her parents' homeland admits that,
"for me, going to the Center is the closest thing to visiting Iran."
In
the past three years, having a community center has provided numerous benefits
to the Iranian-American community, from a 2000-person annual "Chahrshanbeh
Souri" street parade on the last Tuesday eve of Winter, to monthly art, music,
and language classes, to providing a non-political non-religious atmosphere to
host newsmakers such as Poupeh Mahdavinader--the first Iranian woman to be
bicycling around the world for peace. It has organized the community
around public advocacy issues, such as on-site voter registration, and has
allowed Persian Center to form strategic alliances with many other non-profit
organizations, such as the Wheelchair Foundation, in an effort to deliver 1680
wheelchairs to Iran. As a result of having a physical location, unique art
initiatives, such as collection of immigration stories in the "Hall of
Reflection" project, became possible in collaboration with California Arts
Council for the Humanities, San Francisco Art Commission, Cultural Equity Grant,
and the Creative Work Fund, Haas Foundation.
"We would like to
expand our activities, to be able to contribute to the community far more
extensively, from summer camps for children, to outreach programs for senior
citizens, to greater promotion of Persian art, music, and cultural activities,
to extended public advocacy efforts and presence of the Iranian-American
population on a state level. In order to have the resources-both human and
financial-to implement these programs, we need to pay off the loan balance of
$350,000," stated Mandana A. Baradar, founder, board member, and event
organizer. All community members are encouraged to participate in this
historic event.
The Persian Center is a non-profit organization with a
mission to create an environment in which to conduct social, cultural,
educational, and recreational activities designed to strengthen the sense of
identity and integrity of all Iranians and Iranian descendants, and to engage
individuals interested in or related to Persian community and
culture.
Contact: Niloofar M. Nouri,
510-848-0264
... Payvand News - 10/9/03 ... --
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