Ancient To Modern: Hearing the Artistic Voices of Iran

We as Americans, high school students and adults alike, hear so much in the news about the Middle East. But the area itself has been demonized and then ignored. Most would not be able to locate the country of Iran on a map, and yet we hear and speak of being at the brink of war with a nation we barely understand.

The arts are a great unifier across subject areas and are a window into peoples and cultures. Thus, the art classroom might be the most engaging way to get students to understand and be interested in not just the lives and perspective of a few Iranian artists, but to see how their stories and culture compare to our own when it comes to such themes as coming-of-age, freedom, fear, rebellion, and war.