Egyptian American multimedia artist Olfet Agrama will show her unique collection of handmade boxes, "Out of the Box," at the Ojai Art Center, from May 3-May 30, 2013, with an artist's reception on Sunday, May 12 from 1:00-3:00 pm. The Ojai Art Center is located at 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai CA 93023. Ph. 805.646.0117.

The work of Olfet Agrama spans four decades depicting people, landscapes and still life in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Her recent show at the LCC's Inside/Outside Gallery was "Swimming Up the Nile" with 25 works from her paintings on cultures of Africa and North Africa. Visit her web site.

"A Grand Souk Festival" will feature activities for adults and children on Sunday, May 19th at El Rancho Cordillera del Norte in Northridge from 11:30 am until 5:00 pm. This open air bazaar of arts and culture is a culminating celebration of the Big Read Program through the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. This Valley celebration is sponsored by The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, a participant in this year's Big Read Program, along with the Levantine Cultural Center.

[Los Angeles—MAR. 20, 2013] Entering into the Persian New Year, the Levantine Cultural Center presents a masterpiece, Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings, a new illustrated edition of the classic work by the great 11th-century Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi. Created by award-winning graphic artist and filmmaker Hamid Rahmanian, this new prose translation of the national epic is illuminated with over 500 pages of illustrations. Rahmanian will share images and text from the book as well as discuss the continued relevance of this powerful classic for a new generation of readers.

Entering into the Persian New Year, the Levantine Cultural Center presents a masterpiece, Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings, a new illustrated edition of the classic work by the great 11th-century Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi. This new prose translation of the national epic is illuminated with over 500 pages of illustrations, created by award-winning graphic artist and filmmaker Hamid Rahmanian. The spectacular images in this edition were created from elements culled from thousands of illuminated manuscripts, lithographs, and miniatures dating from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries: each page is a new work of art and exquisite collage of traditional forms. Translated and adapted by Ahmad Sadri, this new edition retells the mythological and epic stories of the original poem in prose format. This event features santoor maestro Hamid Saeidi, and is cosponsored in part by Robert Reza Amin.

Levantine presents the Abbas Premjee Project, a concert of progressive Pakistani jazz in conjunction with the Inside/Outside Gallery exhibition "The Art of Music" by Adnan Hussain. The exhibition of 19 paintings is inspired by travels through Central and South Asia, featuring watercolor, gouache and ink pieces of music from Kyrgyzstan, Uyghurs from China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. Enjoy art and live performance in a unique atmosphere.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

For inquiries, please contact Lulwa Bordcosh or Kameron Myles

310.657.5511

MIDDLE EAST CONTINUES TO ROCK, SERIES CONTINUES WITH ONE-NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE BY IRANIAN STAR FARZAD GOLPAYEGANI, MARCH 1

[Los Angeles—FEB. 14, 2013] Farzad Golpayegani is one of Iran’s hottest fusion guitarists and composers. He is also a renowned painter and graphic designer who has lived in Iran, Turkey and the U.S. The band is Farzad Golpayegani on electric and acoustic guitar & violin; Ali Sanaei on bass guitar, fretless acoustic bass & acoustic guitar; and Rameel Nissan on drums, percussions and acoustic guitar. This is a one-night only concert before Farzad and his band play live at the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin TX. The band plays live at The Mint March 1, 8 pm, 6010 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles 90035 to be followed by an after-party art exhibit of his work next door at the Levantine Cultural Center. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

For inquiries, please contact Lulwa Bordcosh or Kameron Myles

310.657.5511

RARE MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION OF PAKISTANI AND CENTRAL ASIAN CULTURE CONTINUES WITH GIRNARI JOGI GROOVE, FEB 22, 2013  

[Los Angeles—FEB. 13, 2013] As part of a special month-long series showcasing the cultures of Pakistan and Central Asia, the Levantine Cultural Center hosts “Pakistan and the Girnari Jogi Groove,” a multimedia event showcasing art, music & film devoted to the region. The event will feature a live musical performance by Tablapusher, plus a special screening of musical performances by the Girnari Jogi Group and a screening of Gul, the inventive animated short film by Adnan Hussain.