The University of Iowa

Embracing Complexity

 

Join us as Hancher explores and celebrates Islamic art and Muslim artists

Hancher has been awarded a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) for the Building Bridges: Arts, Culture, and Identity program. APAP sought projects designed to build knowledge and appreciation for arts and culture with roots in Muslim-majority societies.

Hancher’s project, Embracing Complexity, will take a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to building understanding of contemporary Islamic cultures and Muslim identity. Artists will be in residence at various times over the course of two years and will work with partners both on and off the University of Iowa campus on a broad range of activities including performances, classes, exhibits, discussions, and lectures. The project will also document and explore the experiences of Muslims in Eastern Iowa through sharing of local stories and oral histories. Embracing Complexity is in keeping with the University of Iowa’s commitment to diversity.

Our goal is to build textured knowledge of Islamic cultures, while creating a greater sense of empathy for the experiences of peoples of diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. We believe this is an urgent program at this moment.
 

Past events:  
Negin Farsad - Part of Embracing Complexity
COMEDY

Negin Farsad

Saturday, February 22, 2020, 7:30 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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Syed Umar Warsi, Amir Safi, and Amal Kassir - Part of Embracing Complexity
STORYTELLING

Syed Umar Warsi, Amir Safi, and Amal Kassir

Friday, February 21, 2020, 7:30 pm
Strauss Hall

 

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Rahim AlHaj, part of Embracing Complexity
MUSIC

Rahim AlHaj and string ensemble
Letters from Iraq

Saturday, February 16, 2019, 7:30 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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Alsarah & the Nubatones
MUSIC

Alsarah & the Nubatones

Saturday, November 17, 2018, 7:30 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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Club Hancher: Kinan Azmeh, part of Embracing Complexity
MUSIC

Club Hancher: Kinan Azmeh's CityBand

Saturday, November 3, 2018, 6:30 and 9:00 pm
Strauss Hall

 

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IPHIGENIA POINT BLANK: Story of the first Refugee
THEATRE | MUSIC

IPHIGENIA POINT BLANK: Story of the first Refugee

Presented by the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts

November 1–4 and 8–11, 2018
David Thayer Theatre

 

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Zeshan Bagewadi and the Transistors
MUSIC

Zeshan B and the Transistors

Friday, May 25, 2018, 6:30 pm
Downtown Iowa City

Saturday, May 26, 2018, 2:00 pm
Lynch Snyder Green

 

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Muslims in Iowa (Image: The Mother Mosque of America, Cedar Rapids)
THEATER | STORYTELLING

Reading: Muslims in Iowa
Tuesday, April 10, 2018, 7:00 pm
Strauss Hall

 

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Bassem Youssef
COMEDY

Bassem Youssef
Part of Mission Creek Festival

Saturday, April 7, 2018, 7:30 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic
THEATER | STORYTELLING

Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic

Wednesday, April 4, 2018, 7:30 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LECTURE

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
From Kareem to Kaepernik: A History of Political Activism in Sports

Sunday, March 25, 2018, 3:00 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

Cassanda S. Foens M.D. 10th Anniversary Lecture
A collaboration with the University Lecture Committee

 

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Amir ElSaffar and Rivers of Sound
MUSIC

Amir ElSaffar and Rivers of Sound

Thursday, February 8, 2018, 7:30 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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G. Willow Wilson
LECTURE

G. Willow Wilson, A Superhero for Generation Why

Sunday, October 8, 2017, 2:00 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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Niyaz, The Fourth Light Project
MUSIC

Niyaz, The Fourth Light Project

Saturday, September 30, 2017, 7:30 pm
The Auditorium, Hadley Stage

 

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DINNER

Eid al-Adha Dinner

Saturday, September 9, 2017, 7:00 pm
Stanley Café

 

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KJ Sanchez
LECTURE | THEATRE

KJ Sanchez

Thursday, September 7, 2017, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Strauss Hall

 

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This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals – Building Bridges: Arts, Culture, and Identity, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

National Endowment for the Arts - Art Works

 

Image: Iranian glazed ceramic tile work, from the ceiling of the Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz, Iran. Province of Fars. (Credit: Pentocelo)