Guided Search: Folk Arts/Culture, Middle East

Join Al-Bustan and Philadelphia Arabs for our annual Arab Community Day at Penn Treaty Park. The event on Sunday, July 10th is to start at 12 noon and run until 5 PM. There are going to be food trucks, arts and crafts activities, government resources, music and more!

Join us on Wednesday, March 3rd at Solas 2021 as we celebrate the important work that YOU have helped make possible!

This year will be the first virtual Solas Awards and while it will be different from past events, we are excited to be able to welcome everyone to join us in experiencing The Welcoming Center. During Solas 2021, you will have the opportunity to virtually network with others in The Welcoming Center community, learn more about the impact your support has on immigrants in Philadelphia, and watch a live conversation with our 2021 Solas Award honoree, Dr. José Ramón Fernández-Peña hosted by our friend and former colleague, Amanda Bergson-Shilcock.

John Ghazvinian charts the tangled relationship between America and Iran from the 18th century to the often icy diplomacy of today

About this Event

Can an immigrant’s story be universal in today’s America? To find out, Emmy-award winning performer Kayhan Irani excavates memory and experience to reconstruct a sense of belonging. Using video projections, live performance, and humor, Irani embodies characters from her journey and invites the audience to share their own stories. IJ curator Alex Shaw joins Irani as a guest artist.

Our Youth Arts Workshop students spent this summer exploring the theme of portraiture and creating artwork using various media, such as drawing, sculpture, photography, and public engagement, and learn to talk about identity, stereotypes, and visibility. Spend the afternoon with us and come see all the great things our young artists have been working on!

International House Philadelphia invites the public to attend its Nowruz (Persian New Year) Celebration. Nowruz, or "new day" in Persian, is an ancient festival that marks the beginning of spring and celebrates the rebirth of nature.

TAFSUS is a non-profit organization established in 1966 to promote better understanding and friendship between the Turkish and the American communities through educational, cultural and social activities. TAFSUS is an association, which serves the Turkish, the Turkish-American and the American communities in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and South New Jersey.

“Revered among aficionados of Persian classical and folk music, Sahba Motallebi is a virtuoso performer on the long-necked stringed instruments known as tar and setar. ” – LA Weekly

“Evocative melodies, intricate arabesques, and sparkling cascades over the mystical-spiritual aura of the ney flute. Contemplative or rhythmic, the trio produces a unique magic.”
– Frankfurt Journal