SAVE THE DATE:  Shahnameh Conference
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a day-long festival on the Shahnameh together with the Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture on UCI campus, followed by a live performance at the Irvine Barclay Theater on October 6, 2012. Please mark your calendars and stayed tuned for more details as they become available. 

Click here to view a listing of confirmed speakers.

Rostam 2 Series by Siamak Filizadeh
Ahmanson Building, Level 4
June 2, 2012–December 3, 2012

In his ingenious mixed-media series Rostam 2—Return, Iranian artist Siamak Filizadeh draws upon the rich literary and visual traditions of the Shahnama or Book of Kings. As with other literary masterpieces, the Shahnama, the Iranian national epic, has an appeal and an elasticity that has allowed successive generations to discover or invent new meanings. In his retelling of the classic Persian tale, Filizadeh bypasses its universalities in favor of more specific social commentary.   His skillful blending of anachronistic and contemporary details carry the viewer from the mythical realm of Iran’s greatest champion—Rostam—to the artist’s take on the kitsch consumerism and popular culture of today’s Tehran.

Iranian Studies Initiative at USC 

In 2010, Farhang Foundation and the University of Southern California (USC) Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences officially announced the launch an Iranian Studies Initiative at the university. (Press Release)

The following June, USC named Dr. Peyman Nojoumian (Press Release) the Assistant Professor of the teaching of Persian. By Fall 2011, Persian language classes appeared on the curriculum for the first time at USC.

With the establishment of the first phase of the Iranian Studies Initiative, Farhang Foundation is now focused on the second phase: establishing a Minor degree with a focus on Iranian Studies, while ensuring Persian classes continue to be offered at USC.

CLICK HERE to download the information package.