This talk examines how Iranian musicians have turned to intercultural collaborations—since the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution and into the present—as a way to connect with the wider world. Through examples from Iran and its diaspora, it explores whether these encounters reflect modernization, inclusiveness, or both, and considers the line between cultural exoticism and genuine artistic exchange.

Hesam Abedini is an Iranian–American composer, performer, improviser, and educator whose work explores intercultural dialogue between classical Persian music, jazz, Western contemporary traditions, and computer music. A founding member of the Sibarg Ensemble, he is recognized for a polystylistic approach that integrates diverse musical languages through improvisation and new composition. His works have been performed by ensembles including the JACK Quartet, Del Sol Quartet, Eclipse Quartet, Hypercube, and loadbang.

Get ready for a one-of-a-kind experience! Join Namad Ensemble's master musicians for an unforgettable, hands-on musical gathering. Sing along with beloved Persian songs, learn the secrets of classical Persian music, and experience the pure joy of making music together. This event is informal, interactive, and open to everyone. Don’t miss it!

Event in Persian. Registration Required.

A Youth Empowerment Event

Nowruz, an ancient celebration of nature’s rebirth, the first day of Spring. It is a time of renewal, joy, and community! 🌿

We invite you and your youth to celebrate with us through the cherished tradition of egg painting, symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings. Let your creativity shine as we decorate colorful eggs together, embracing the spirit of spring!

This is a free, youth event. Whether you're familiar with Nowruz or discovering it for the first time, we welcome you to join us in this vibrant celebration of culture, art, and togetherness.

Nowruz, an ancient celebration of nature’s rebirth, the first day of Spring. It is a time of renewal, joy, and community! 🌿

We invite you and your youth to celebrate with us through the cherished tradition of egg painting, symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings. Let your creativity shine as we decorate colorful eggs together, embracing the spirit of spring!

This is a free, youth event. Whether you're familiar with Nowruz or discovering it for the first time, we welcome you to join us in this vibrant celebration of culture, art, and togetherness.

Join us for a storytelling session at the Lynnwood Library

We will share the story of Nowruz, an ancient secular holiday celebrating the first day of Spring by 300 million people across the globe.

We will have children art and culture activities following the storytelling session.

Nowruz, an ancient celebration of nature’s rebirth, the first day of Spring. It is a time of renewal, joy, and community! 🌿

We invite you to celebrate with us through the cherished tradition of egg painting, symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings. Let your creativity shine as we decorate colorful eggs together, embracing the spirit of spring!

This is a free, adult only event. Whether you're familiar with Nowruz or discovering it for the first time, we welcome you to join us in this vibrant celebration of culture, art, and togetherness.

In “The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life” we share the powerful narratives of individuals from the Bay Area Iranian diaspora community, who contribute to and creatively respond to their history, and indeed add to the richness of this region.

At a time when immigrants, primarily from black and brown communities--from Mexico, to the Caribbean, and the Middle East-- have been vilified and stereotyped as criminals, drug-runners and terrorists, it is especially important to hear the real story of immigrants.

Q & A with the director following the show.

This documentary is about the life of “Habibeh”, a self-taught painter who, according to her, has created 4000 works with her special tools and techniques during seven years. For “Habibeh”, art is a medium to endure the imposed and unwanted sufferings of her life. Habibeh’s works had not been widely displayed until the making of this film.

There will be a discussion session following the film.

A timely documentary film about exiles in America and the families they left behind, MOUTH HARP IN MINOR KEY sheds light on the dynamics of our contemporary times, beset by globalization and consolidation of capital and media, on the one hand, and by fragmentation and disruptions of nation-states, on the other.

In this film, Iranian filmmaker Maryam Sepehry follows the eminent film scholar Hamid Naficy in the United States and his family in Iran. It is a documentary portrait that elucidates the complexities of personal identity in a globalized world, where individual, national, and transnational forces interact.

Q & A with the director following the show.

Join KCLS & Peyvand Non-Profit Organization for a children’s storytelling and artmaking session that celebrates Shab-e Yalda (Yalda Night), a Persian holiday dating back thousands of years that welcomes the winter solstice & brighter days ahead triumphing light over darkness.

Join us on 12/8/24 4:00 pm at the UW Bothell Campus Discovery Hall 061 for the screening of Alborz: We Climb Mountains (2023, 86 mins.), which tells the story of the school during many tumultuous years in Iran’s modern history, from the perspectives of its graduates, teachers, and even Dr. Mojtahedi’s own voice from archival recordings; it tells it with humor, fondness, and nostalgia for a bygone era. It exemplifies what has been lost in the years since the 1979 Revolution and why today so many among the bright and promising young Iranians sound critical of current policies and administrative mishandling of one of their country’s once top educational institutions.

California-based, Iranian American artist, Yasmeen Abedifard, speaks about her her newly published comic collection "When to Pick a Pomegranate" (pub. Silver Sprocket 2024)

Hosted by Peyvand partist, Amelia Ossorio and University of Washington's Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. Sponsored by Peyvand Nonprofit Organization

Come meet social advocate, and educator Aria Fani. Professor of Persian language and literature and translation studies at the University of Washington.

Celebrate the joyous traditions of Nowruz (Persian New Year) and Easter with an egg decorating event. Explore different techniques of decorating Nowruz and Easter eggs. From vibrant colors to intricate designs, express your creativity!

The distinguished speakers, Dr. Nasir Arian speaks on "Persian Fiction in Afghanistan: A Formal Approach". Mehrdad Rahimi-Moghaddam will shed light on Perspectives on the Turkish Literature of Iranian Azerbaijan.

Dr. Nasir Arian, Penn State University, offers a workshop on gender and violence in Persian fiction in Afghanistan. Event in Persian. Co-sponsored by the UW Middle East Center and Peyvand NPO.

Mehrdad Rahimi-Moghaddam, PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, offers a workshop on Azerbaijani Turkish language and literature in Iran.-Event in English. Co-sponsored by the UW Middle East Center and Peyvand NPO.

Join Peyvand and UW MELC for a conversation with the internationally acclaimed novelist, Moniro Ravanipour, about her most recent book “I Will Call You Once I Arrive in Kyiv”.