Twin cities Iranian Culture Festival
Celebrating iranian-americans’ rich cultural heritage
Upcoming Events
MSP International Film Festival: Terrestrial Voices
This film will be repeated again on Thursday, April 25 at 11:50 a.m. Inspired by ghazal, a style of Persian poetry, Terrestrial Verses collects interviews with people from Iran as […]
Minneapolis, 55414
MSP International Film Festival: Critical Zone
This film will be shown again on Saturday, April 20 at 9:35 p.m. Amir drives through Tehran at night, dealing drugs and talking to the users, prostitutes, pimps, people in […]
Minneapolis, 55414
MSP International Film Festival: Critical Zone
Critical Zone will be shown again at 9:35 p.m. on Saturday, May 20. For $3 discount, use promo code IRCMSPIFF24. Amir drives through Tehran at night, dealing drugs and talking […]
Minneapolis, 55414
Opening Reception: 2024 Twin Cities Iranian Arts Exhibition
The Twin Cities' most talented Iranian-American artists will have their work on display at our sixth annual Iranian Artists Exhibition Thursday, October 24 through Saturday, December 1 2024 at the […]
Hopkins, MN 55343
Featured 2023 Iranian Culture Festival Presenters and Performers
- Emel Sherzad’s Paintings Bring Peace and Amplify Iranian Culture
MEET THE ARTIST: Emel Sherzad is a Persian artist and musician now living in Minnesota. While art has been a part of his family for generations, Sherzad has developed his own path in art as a painter. Sherzad’s pieces are constructed from layers of paint and ideas, with the final product something that is unrecognizable from his first brush… Read more: Emel Sherzad’s Paintings Bring Peace and Amplify Iranian Culture - Nicky Torkzadeh’s Abstract Art Uplifts Nature’s Beauty and Makes a StatementNicky Torkzadeh is an artist based in North Minneapolis, originally from Iran. As a kid, art was Torkzadeh’s primary interest and as she got older, she enrolled in art classes in Iran. In the U.S., she majored in architecture but later realized she didn’t want to pursue that art form. Instead, she worked in graphic… Read more: Nicky Torkzadeh’s Abstract Art Uplifts Nature’s Beauty and Makes a Statement
- Dan Rein: Playing Iranian Instruments as an American MusicianDan Rein is an American musician who plays traditional Iranian instruments. He has studied classical Iranian music for over 25 years and plays music on a variety of Iranian instruments, including the setar and dutar. He also plays the dubanj, an instrument he created which is a cross between an Iranian dutar and a banjo,… Read more: Dan Rein: Playing Iranian Instruments as an American Musician
- Roya Nazari: Creating Powerful Art About Women’s Rights in America and IranRoya Nazari is a local artist, originally from Iran, and a student in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of Minnesota. Her art is often meant to ignite conversation about social issues like mental health, the environment, and women’s rights. She shared that the Women Life Freedom movement in Iran inspires some of… Read more: Roya Nazari: Creating Powerful Art About Women’s Rights in America and Iran
- Niayesh Shababi Takes a New Approach to Iranian MusicNiayesh Shababi is a guitarist and composer. A current music education major, Shababi aspires to be a performer and continue composing music. He has been playing and studying classical music for 10 years. However, his freelance work fuses styles like contemporary music, jazz, electronic dance music (EDM), and Persian music, putting a modern spin on… Read more: Niayesh Shababi Takes a New Approach to Iranian Music
Who We Are
The Twin Cities Iranian Culture Collective is a non-religious, non-political, non-partisan 501c3 tax-exempt organization. All are welcome.
What We Do
We organize concerts, festivals and other events that are open to the entire Twin Cities community. Check our events calendar.
Get involved!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Contact us for volunteer opportunities. And make a donation to support our work.
![MEET THE ARTIST: @emelsherzad is a Persian artist and musician now living in Minnesota. While art has been a part of his family for generations, Sherzad has developed his own path in art as a painter.
Sherzad's pieces are constructed from layers of paint and ideas, with the final product something that is unrecognizable from his first brush strokes. “Every layer is kind of like an intervention that almost obliterates the previous layer. It reminds me of the fragility of every moment,” Sherzad describes.
This aspect of his work is inspired by other Persian creative works like Persian literature, Sufi poetry, and composure, other arts that shape into completely new things throughout the creation process. “The process of creation has something magical about it,” he shares.
For Sherzad, art is his family legacy, but it’s also a spiritual quest. Additionally, he voices that art helps him make peace with change and upheaval in the world.
“Persian culture is old and rich. It has been overshadowed…by the politics of the last half-century,” he explains. “However, art, food, [and other creative forms] present the culture as it is in its most spiritual and human form.” Sherzad adds that creative works are a way to build connections, both across his personal identities and cultures across the world. “[Art] is a good vehicle to remind people of the sameness across cultures.”
Learn more about Emel and other local Iranian creatives at the link in our bio!
#mncommunity #celebrateculture #iranianamerican #iranianart #iranianartist #twincities #IranianCulture #Iranian](https://twincitiesiranianculturefestival.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
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The 2023 Twin Cities Iranian Culture Collective programs are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.