Free Arts Classes and Performances at Afghan Cultural Society
August 31 – September 1st, 301 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis, 55454
We hope you will join us at our community center on Labor Day weekend to participate in a series of artistic and cultural workshops focused on music, dance, poetry, and ceramics! These fun and enriching classes will be facilitated by: scholar of Islamic studies and Farsi literature Ahmad Rashid Salim, Minneapolis Ceramic artist and educator Katayoun Amjadi, dance instructor and choreographer Samia Karimi, and Rubab player and cultural preservationist Sahil Handa. Learn about the artistic heritage of Afghanistan by engaging directly with respected experts deeply engaged in their study and practice, provided free of charge to the community. This series of events has been designed with our mental health programming in mind. We utilizes group classes and activities to create a space were new community members can engage in cultural expression, learn skills, and connect with one another to foster personal and communal well-being.
The weekend will conclude with a night of art and performance by our visiting instructors. You won’t want to miss it!
Space is limited, please call 612 477 5092 to register!
Workshop Schedule
Attendees must be 16 or older. Please arrive on time to classes – space is limited.
August 31st:
2 – 3:30 PM
Afghan Poetry with Ahmad Rashid Salim: Poetry as healing
How is language, primarily poetic language, understood to offer insights of self and an intimate pathway to healing? This session approaches the rich tapestry of mystical and modern Farsi poetry to both uncover its delight and the way(s) poets understood the power and ability of poetry to uncover possibilities of hope, healing, and ‘home’. Participants will also be guided through a practice of writing a poem according to the rules of the Rubā’i. The session is open to all and no prior knowledge of the poetic tradition is required.
4 – 6:00 PM
Ceramics and Glaze with Katayoun Amjadi: One Pinch at a Time Workshop
Join me for a hands-on workshop and learn how to create your own ceramic pot from scratch!
I’ll be leading this workshop in Farsi and English. Using a ball of clay and one of the earliest hand building techniques called “pinch pot”, you’ll be experiencing the elemental joy of touch and witness the knowledge of your hands in shaping and forming clay. This technique is meditative and therapeutic and time seems to bend and slow down as you lose yourself during the physical process of making.
The pinch pot technique is one of the most basic and ancient methods of producing pottery, and began as soon as we could pick up dirt, at least 17,000 years ago. The potter’s wheel did not appear until about 4,000 years ago. Pinch pots can be as simple as a humble cup or as complex as you can imagine them to be.
We’ll be working with Earthenware clay body and learn how to make a simple form, alter it, attach components to it, create texture, and lastly how to use and layer underglaze colorants on greenware works. I’ll talk about Bisque and glaze firings and after your works are made, they’ll be transferred to my studio for kiln firings.
Finished pieces will be available for pickup within a week following the workshop
This workshop is suitable for all ages & skill levels.
*Long nails are not recommended.
September 1st:
2 – 3:30 PM
Afghan Dance with Samia Karimi (Women Only):
In this Afghan dance workshop you will:
- Learn about the importance of breath and movement in cultivating a healthy relationship with your body and mind.
- Learn basic Afghan dance footwork and expression in the upper body. We will practice short combinations that can be applied to any song and we will incorporate your own movements in a group choreography.
We come together to connect with our culture, our body, and community. Come learn, come play, come have fun! (no prior dance experience is required)!
4 – 6:00 PM
Introduction to the Rubab with Sahil Handa:
Discover the enchanting sounds of the rubab in this beginner’s class focused on Afghan and Hindustani classical music. Under the guidance of an experienced instructor, you’ll learn the basics of playing the rubab, including fundamental techniques, scales, and simple melodies. The class emphasizes the rich cultural heritage of both Afghan and Hindustani traditions, offering a hands-on introduction to the rhythms and ragas that define these musical styles. Perfect for beginners, this class welcomes all who wish to explore the beauty of the rubab and its place in classical music.
8-10 PM
Afghan Arts Showcase
Please join us for a wonderful evening of music, dance, poetry, and art brought to you by these 4 visiting instructors!
About Our Contributors
Ahmad Rashid Salim
Ahmad Rashid Salim (احمد راشد سليم) is a best-selling author and scholar in the fields of Islamic studies and Farsi literature. He has widely lectured and provided interviews related to Persian literature, the Middle East, and Islam. He is the founder of Aleff Institute, a premier online language instruction program for university students and working professionals to learn the Farsi language and its literature, with a special emphasis on the Kabuli dialect. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and earned a Ph.C (awarded with highest distinction) in the fields of Islamic studies, as well as Farsi language and literature from the University of California, Berkeley. He has also completed traditional studies in Islamic sciences, as well studied Farsi poetry directly with a number of the reputable scholars from Afghanistan.
website: Aleff Institute
Sahil Handa
Sahil is a distinguished rubab player and cultural preservationist, whose artistic journey reflects a deep connection to his family’s roots in Jalalabad and Peshawar. Born in Delhi, Sahel has studied the Afghan rubab under the expert tutelage of maestros from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India, mastering the intricate techniques and profound traditions of this ancient instrument. Now based in New York, Sahil is dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural and folk heritage of the rubab. His work as a cultural preservationist emphasizes the importance of this instrument in the musical traditions of the region, and he continues to share its rich legacy with global audiences.
Instagram: @Sahelmuse
Samia Karimi
Samia Karimi was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and has lived most of her life close to the ocean in California. Samia’s fascination with dance was inspired by her love for the music played by her madar jaan when she was a child – 1980s Afghan classics, golden Bollywood movies, as well as Googoosh of Iran. For the past 18 years Samia has trained, performed, choreographed and taught in the dance forms of the SWANA region with various dance companies as well as an independent dance artist. While keeping her passion for dance alive, Samia has also worked in the nonprofit arts space in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as Afghan refugee resettlement in Los Angeles. Samia is currently expanding opportunities to continue research in Afghan dance, to collaborate with other artists and to continue teaching Afghan dance to new students. Samia invites everyone, of all ages and backgrounds to embrace dance as its own language, as an expression of joy and pain and ultimately as embodied freedom.
Instagram: @Silktiger
Website: Afsaneh Arts
Katayoun Amjadi
Katayoun Amjadi is an Iranian-born, Minneapolis-based artist, educator, and independent curator. In her work, she often considers the sociopolitical systems that shape our perceptions of Self and Other, such as language, religion, gender, politics, and nationalist ideologies. Amjadi blurs these boundaries and creates an off-balance, hybrid style that is slightly acerbic and a little bit tongue-in-cheek. Her art probes the relationship between past and present, tradition and modernity, and individual versus collective identity, and simultaneously seeks to spur discussion about our place in the temporal arc and the interwoven roots of our histories.
Academy (Beijing, China), Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe, Germany), and Haftsamar Gallery (Tehran, Iran) among others. Selected fellowships include MCAD-Jerome Emerging Artist (2020/2021), Artist Initiative Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2015/2019), and Creative Individual Grant (2024). Amjadi co-runs a studio arts building and maintains a small ceramics business in the Q.arma Building in the northeast Minneapolis art district.
Instagram: @katceramics
Website: www.katayoun.com