In Persian culture the lotus tree represents a place of refuge, a metaphor for safety and recovery. Join West Vancouver Art Museum Curator Hilary Letwin in conversation with artists Pari Azarm Motamedi and Rozita Moini-Shirazi as they discuss the paintings featured in the exhibition Under the Shade of the Lotus Tree showing at the Museum from January 25 to April 1, 2023.

Pari Azarm Motamedi, who has lived in West Vancouver for over 30 years, was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She studied and worked as an architect and urban planner in Iran and England before moving to Canada in 1984. Azarm Motamedi has painted for most of her life, with work exhibited at public and private venues in Iran, the USA, and Canada, including at the University of Victoria, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University. She also works in precious metals, creating jewelry, games, and furniture. A wearable chess set she designed and made won the DeBeers Award in 1994 and was shown in major Canadian cities and publications.

Rozita Moini-Shirazi is a multi-disciplinary artist. Having lived in Iran until the age of 21, she experienced the horrors of the Iran-Iraq war. She immigrated from Iran to Germany in 1984, settling in Canada in 1990. She studied Communication Design in Germany and continued her education at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2003, where she earned a BFA. Returning to Iran, she completed an MFA at the University of Tehran in 2006. As an art educator, Rozita completed her MEd at the University of Victoria. She currently teaches at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Moini-Shirazi has exhibited her work widely across Canada and abroad.

Dr. Hilary Letwin gained her PhD in Art History from Johns Hopkins University in 2013. She has held Curatorial Fellowships at the British Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Recent projects include Cornelia Hahn Oberlander: Genius Loci (2020); Design for Living: West Coast Modern Homes Revisited (2019); Saints, Sinners and Souvenirs: Italian Masterworks on Paper (2019); and Molly Lamb Bobak: Talk of the Town (2018). She currently works as the Museum Administrator/Curator at the West Vancouver Art Museum.

In partnership with the West Vancouver Art Museum

Canadian Iranian Foundation celebrates Nowruz with music and traditional dances from 4 corners of Iran, poetry, buffet dinner and much more.
Info:604-800-1977
E-Mail: admin@cif-bc.com
Tickets are sold only at Canadian Iranian Foundation.
نوروز پایدار است تا یک جوانه باقی است.
نو روز بزرگترین و بهترین رسم فرهنگی ما ایرانیان است. و بر خلاف خواست رژیم اخیر ایران که سعی براز بین بردن ان داشتند ملت غیور ایران ان را ارج نهاده و همه ساله ان را بر گزار میکنند. بنیاد کانادا و ایران نیز این رسم زیبا را ارج نهاده و ان را با .
.شگوه تمام برگزار میکند.
ما منتظر دیدار شما عزیزان هستیم.برنامه شامل موسیقی رقصهای محلی شعر خوانی و شام بوفه کامل میباشد. بلیط را فقط از بنیاد کانادا و ایران میتوانید تهیه کنید.
تلفن اطلاعات:1977-800-604
ایمیل:admin@cif-bc.com
www.cif-bc.com

Free Event
Nowruz is a 13 day long New Year celebration with ancient roots observed throughout the world by Persian communities. It ends with Sizdah Bedar or ‘picnic day’. Sizdah Bedar is thought to be a day that evil spirits haunt people in their homes. After 12 days of celebrating the Nowruz, most families spend the 13th day outdoors enjoying picnics and connecting with nature.

This long tradition continues today in Port Coquitlam. 2015 was the first year members of the Persian community and Tricity Futsal organized Sizdah Bedar in Port Coquitlam and it has been an important community celebration ever since.

Join us for a talk from Medi Tavassoli, organizer of Tricity Futsal and the Sizdah Bedar event in PoCo, on Nowruz and its observance here in Port Coquitlam.

Refreshments will be served.