Iranian cultural program at Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tim Hallman: (415) 379-8787
Ellen Oh: (415) 379-8813
or pr@asianart.org
Asian Art Museum Presents Two Unique Iranian Cultural Programs
A World Between: Poems, short stories and essays by Iranian-Americans,
Saturday, April 29, 2000, 2:00 PM
FILM: Gabbeh (The Carpet) directed by Moshen Makhmalbaf, Sunday, April
30, 2000, 2:00 PM
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, MARCH 10, 2000: During the last weekend in
April, the Asian Art Museum will present two cultural programs that offer
unique insight into Iranian culture and Iranian American experiences. On
Saturday April 29, local Iranian American authors will read selections
from the recently published anthology, A World Between: Poems, Short Stories
and Essays by Iranian-Americans, and on Sunday, April 30, the critically-acclaimed
Iranian film, Gabbeh (The Carpet) will be screened. Both the reading and
the film screening will take place in the Museum's Trustees' Auditorium
beginning at 2:00 PM.
The programs are free with museum admission. A World Between: Poems,
Short Stories and Essays by Iranian-Americans (George Braziller, New York,
1999) is a passionate collection of works written by Iranian immigrants
and first-generation Iranian-Americans. Diverse and deeply personal, these
pieces explore the Iranian community's continuing struggle to understand
what is means to be Iranian in America. Editor Persis M. Karim and contributors
Zara Houshmand, Sanaz Nikaein, Maryam Ovissi, Katayoon Zandvakili, and
Shadi Ziaei will read their writings from this powerful anthology, discussing
the pain of exile, the complexity of cultural identity and the relationships
between those born in Iran and a younger generation who are growing up
in the United States. These never-before published pieces present a rich,
humanizing portrait of a growing community, who like any other immigrant
community must face the ongoing negotiation between past and present, their
native home and their adopted home. A World Between gives voice to their
unique and moving pieces. Following the readings, the audience will be
invited to participate in a discussion about the works and issues presented.
The program will close with the sale of books and a book signing by the
writers.
A brilliantly colorful, profoundly romantic ode to beauty, nature, love
and art, the 1997 film Gabbeh tells a timeless fable in a radically new
way. The story is a lyrical saga of a woman and her tribe within the vast
natural expanses of nomadic settings. It is as simple and traditional as
a fairy tale about love, yet at the same time it is multi-layered and modernist.
The film was directed by Moshen Makhmalbaf, one of Iran's most popular
and controversial directors. Intended to be a documentary, the film evolved
into a fictional live story which uses a Gabbeh as a magic story-telling
device, weaving past and present, fantasy and reality. Makhmalbaf says,
"To me, Gabbeh is a return to life and its colors. I was searching
for life when I made Gabbeh. I wanted to capture the poetry of everyday
life." He traveled to remote southeastern Iran to document the lives
of the almost extinct nomadic Ghashghai tribe who weave Gabbehs-special
carpets that serve as both artistic expressions and autobiographical records
of their lives. Rather than following patterns or designs, the weavers
are inspired by their natural and social environments, using bright wool
to create images depicting people, animals, events and feelings. Despite
the film's tremendous international success, Gabbeh was banned in Iran
for a year before the government issued a screening permit.
The programs are co-sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies,
UC Berkeley; the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley; the
Iranian Federated Women's Club (IFWC); the Payvand Cultural School; the
Persian Center, Berkeley; and the Society for Iranian Professionals. Ongoing
support has been provided by the California Arts Council, a state agency,
the City and County of San Francisco, and the William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation.
ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL VISITOR INFORMATION: The Asian
Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western
world devoted exclusively to Asian art. Opened in 1966 as a result of a
gift to the City of San Francisco by industrialist Avery Brundage, the
museum's holdings include more than 12,000 art objects representing the
countries and cultures throughout Asia. As a result of a bond measure overwhelmingly
passed by San Francisco voters in 1994, the museum is scheduled to relocate
from its current location in Golden Gate Park to the Old Main Library building
at Civic Center in 2002.
VISITOR INFORMATION: 415/379-8801
VOLUNTEER SERVICES: 415/379-8808
CULTURAL PROGRAMS: 415/379-8879
MEMBERSHIP: 415/379-8880
EDUCATION PROGRAMS: 415/379-8895
INTERNET ADDRESS: www.asianart.org
LOCATION: Golden Gate Park (entrance from 8th Ave. and Kennedy Drive
across from the Music Concourse, adjacent to the de Young Museum), San
Francisco, CA 94118.
HOURS: Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, with extended
evening hours until 8:45 pm on the first Wednesday of each month.
REGULAR ADMISSION: FREE for children under the age of 12 and Asian Art
Museum members. Nonmembers: $7.00 adults, $5.00 seniors, $4.00 youth aged
12 to 17. Complimentary guided docent tours are offered at regularly scheduled
times throughout the day. Admission is free to all on the first Wednesday
of each month.
ACCESSIBILITY: Galleries in the Asian Art Museum are accessible and
limited numbers of wheelchairs are available without charge at the Museum
entrance. Restrooms in the adjacent de Young Museum are wheelchair accessible.
Sign language interpretation will be provided on 72 hours notice by calling
(415) 379-8812. Assistive listening devices are available for both the
Trustees' Auditorium events and docent tours - no reservations required.
The Asian is served by MUNI buses #44 O'Shaughnessy and #71 Haight Noriega
and the MUNI line N-Judah. Designated parking is located in the lot east
of the museum (entrance from Kennedy Drive at 10th Avenue) and at both
ends of the Music Concourse. Please note that on Sundays J.F. Kennedy Drive
is closed to all traffic. Nearby parking is available on weekends at the
University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) garage at a cost of $3 per
car. For more information regarding access, please call (415) 379-8812;
TDD: (415) 752-2635
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