Saturday, October 5
4:00 p.m. Private Tour
5:00 p.m. Concert Celebration
San Diego Museum of Art, James S. Copley Auditorium
Join us for an enchanting evening celebrating the Iranian fall festival of Mehregan. Celebration attendees are invited to a private tour of special exhibition Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World beginning at 4:00 p.m. before being seated in the Museum’s James S. Copley Auditorium for the annual Mehregan concert at 5:00 p.m.
Sponsors are invited to a VIP tour of special exhibition Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World with Ladan Akbarnia, Ph.D., Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Wonders of Creation is a groundbreaking exhibition inviting viewers on a guided journey through the cosmos, exploring the intersections of art and science as defined by the influential 13th-century cosmography of Zakariyya al-Qazwini. On the tour, guests will have the unique opportunity to admire lavishly illuminated manuscripts, fine textiles, astrolabes, and contemporary art commissions, all illuminating the global impact of science and artistic production from the Islamic world. Celebration attendees will also hear remarks from Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO of The San Diego Museum of Art, prior to being seated in the Museum’s James S. Copley Auditorium for the annual Mehregan concert at 5:00 p.m. Sponsorship packages start at $200 plus fees. For more information about sponsorship, email Nese Bryant-Mitchell or call 619.696.1938.
Concertgoers will enjoy a performance by Siriya Ensemble at 5:00 p.m. Siriya Ensemble is a Boushehrian musical group formed by Mohammad Laryan, Amirhossein Mahini, Moein Pakbaz, Behrooz Sharifian, Mahdi Naseri, Farshad Berenji, and Mahdi Monfared. Siriya Ensemble aims to present a new form of folk music fusing with and inspired by the music of Boushehr. The group started its official activities with the release of “Havaar” in August 2017, promptly followed by the release of “Havaar” (2017) and “The Slipped Poem” (2018), two pre-release tracks from their first full-length album “A Table for Two,” which became available on April 15, 2022. General admission concert tickets start at $70 plus fees.
The Mehregan Fall Fete is a collaboration between The San Diego Museum of Art and the Persian Cultural Center. This annual partnership supports the Arts of Iran gallery and raises funds for acquisitions of art from Iran and the Persianate world or created by contemporary Iranian artists. To purchase tickets, visit pccsd.eventbrite.com.
Arts of Iran
Featuring highlights from the Museum’s permanent collection of works from Iran and the Persianate world dating after the advent of Islam in the 7th century, as well as loans of contemporary works by Iranian and Iranian-American artists, this gallery celebrates Iranian civilization, heritage, and visual culture within a global context.
HISTORY OF PERSIAN ART COLLECTION AND ITS GALLERY
The San Diego Museum of Art’s collection of the Arts of Iran comprises nearly 200 works produced from the 9th century to the present day. Built from around the 1950s to 1960s through gifts as well as Museum purchases with funding from individuals and The Asiatic Arts Committees of the Fine Arts Society—today’s Asian and South Asian Arts Councils—the collection has seen an increase in growth and support in recent years, with an acquisition strategy now expanding to include modern and contemporary art from Iran and the Iranian diaspora. Selections from the Arts of Iran collection are regularly on view in the Museum’s Arts of Iran gallery and often also feature in special displays in other parts of the Museum.
This event is sponsored by the Persian Cultural Center.
