Saturday, October 7
4:00 p.m.
James S. Copley Auditorium

Join us for a stimulating evening celebrating the Iranian festival of Mehregan. Celebration attendees are invited to an outdoor viewing of a newly commissioned piece by Mohammad Barrangi 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. Hear the importance of the Arts of Iran at the Museum, the Persian Cultural Center partnership, and the Patrons of the Arts of Iran from Roxana Velásquez, the Museum’s Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO, and Museum Trustee Gita Khadiri. The concert, titled “Voices Unveiled,” will then feature music composed by Ehsan Matoori, with vocals by Mina Deris and Maliheh Moradi and supported by musicians Aidin Ahmadinejad, Mehrpouya Daneshvar, Daniele De Cario, Connor Kent, and Hailey Waterman.

“Voices Unveiled” invites audiences to listen to and feel the stories of two Iranian women as they experience oppression and seek freedom and justice. Told in three parts, the program first features vocalist Maliheh Moradi performing in Farsi in the Iranian classical style, followed by Mina Deris performing in Arabic and Farsi in the folk style, concluding with both vocalists performing a fusion in Farsi and Arabic.

Event sponsors also have the opportunity at 4:00 p.m. to tour the Arts of Iran gallery with Ladan Akbarnia, Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the Museum.

Presented by the Persian Cultural Center, the Mehregan Fall Fête is an annual fundraising event benefiting the Arts of Iran at The San Diego Museum of Art. This event supports the acquisition of works of art either made in Iran and the Persianate world or created by Iranian contemporary artists. The Arts of Iran exists and thrives because of the dedication and generosity of this community.

Mehregan Fall Fête tickets are on sale now.

Capacity is limited and tickets (including a full range of sponsor benefits) begin at $65. For tickets, visit the Persian Cultural Center ticketing website.

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.

Featured at top right: Pouran Jinchi, Untitled 13 (Rubaiyat series) (detail), 1996. Ink and acrylic on canvas. Museum purchase with funds provided by Sarah E. Aghassi, Nasrin Owsia & Behrooz Akbarnia, Gita Khadiri & Fred Khoroushi, Farnaz & Kourosh Mehrayin, Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell, and Mahsa Vahidi & Arman Paymai in honor of Ms. Shahri Estakhry, 2022.31.