Dream of Dust by Reza Abedini won a Gold Award
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by Ann Marie Jackson

In January, artist Shadi Yousefian and musician Ardalan Payvar will donate approximately 100 artworks to Mano Amiga, a Mexican NGO that empowers women, financially and personally, through microlending. In turn, the donation will allow Mano Amiga to offer each piece of art as a gift to donors based on the level of their donation. The organization provides financial training, mentoring, and interest-free microloans to women in the San Miguel de Allende area who lack access to affordable credit, enabling them to build successful small businesses, thereby improving their families' prospects and strengthening their communities.

This opportunity to receive an art piece from an exclusive collection in appreciation for a donation to Mano Amiga will take place on January 17 from 5:00-8:00 pm at Casa Europa in San Miguel de Allende. VIP tickets for first access to the art from 5:00-6:00 are available for $500 MXN at www.manoamigasma.org/events. During the VIP Hour, guests will enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres generously provided by The Restaurant. Wine will flow all evening. Entrance is free after 6:00. Any pieces still available after the event will remain on display at Casa Europa through the end of January. Interested readers who cannot be in San Miguel on January 17 are encouraged to inquire about participating in the event remotely.

Siah Mashq by Reza Abedini
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Payvar shared the generous couple's motivation. "As human beings, we are interdependent and can only thrive within societies, but within a given society, one finds communities at various levels of privilege. It is very important for the more privileged among us to acknowledge the fact that we can help others advance, not by means of mere financial support, but through more effective means such as education and mentorship. My wife and I have been interested in finding the best way to help the local community. Through dear friends," he continued, "we learned about Mano Amiga. We decided that this was the perfect opportunity to get involved and help to the extent of our ability."

"We are artists who love supporting other artists, so we have been collecting art for many years and have also received pieces as gifts from artist friends," added Yousefian. "Now it is time for us to give back to a deserving community. We see this event as an open invitation to everyone to support this impactful organization, Mano Amiga—and in appreciation for their support, people will take home a gift, a work of art."

Some pieces in the couple's collection were created by notable Iranian artists currently living in Iran as well as exiles living in Europe and the United States. For example, Yousefian and Payvar are donating three works by Reza Abedini, who is often referred to as "the father of Iranian contemporary graphic design." Other award-winning artists in the collection include Najva Erfani, an artist and illustrator whose work is influenced by ancient Iranian literature, mythology, art, and culture, and Hesam Rahmanian, who has held solo exhibitions in London and Dubai and was a finalist for the MOP CAP prize. Also available are works by ICY and SOT, New York-based street artists whose stencils first became famous in the streets of Tabriz, in northern Iran.

Fairy Cinema by Najva Erfani
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Payvar and Yousefian have also begun to collect works from artists based in Mexico. The couple seem to have unerring eyes for talent, as they recently purchased several pieces by young Mexican artists which were subsequently selected for museum shows in both Mexico and the United States."

Among the Mexican artists to be featured at the event are Danilo Filtrof and René Torres, who are currently showing work at the Museo de Arte e Historia de Guanajuato in León, and Joaquín Piñeiro, an abstract artist whose beautiful work Sanmiguelenses will know from his galleries at the Fabrica la Aurora. Argentinian artist Lucas Rise and his wife, American artist Giuliana Vastarella, collaborated on a piece that will be included in the show, as will works by Cory Swenson, an American portrait artist.

This unique sale offers an opportunity to invest in the works of up-and-coming young Iranian, Mexican, and other artists as well as to buy works from more established artists, all priced quite low in an effort to inspire as many donations as possible to the charity."

Hejran Diptych by Ardalan Payvar
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Shadi Yousefian is herself an award-winning artist whose mixed media work addresses universal themes such as loss, dislocation, alienation, and reinvention. Her work engages personal and social issues of contemporary life, particularly cultural identity and the immigrant experience. Her work has been acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and one of her installations is currently on display at the San Diego Museum of Arts. Raised in Iran, she received her Bachelor's and Master's of Fine Arts in Photography from San Francisco State University.

Born in Tehran in 1976, Ardalan Payvar is an artist and musician. At seventeen, he migrated to the United States, where he studied Graphic Design and Fine Arts at Cal Poly University. Ardalan was a member of the Iranian rock band, Kiosk, from 2006 to 2016. In 2009, he and Yousefian co-founded a band named Eendo. Payvar currently works as a music producer for films.

To learn more about this couple and about the important work of Mano Amiga, visit:
www.manoamigasma.org
www.shadiyousefian.com
www.eendo.com

During the VIP Hour, guests will enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres generously provided by The Restaurant. Wine will flow all evening.

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Ann Marie Jackson is a member of Mano Amiga's board of directors.

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