FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Farhang Foundation press@farhang.org 310-666-1546 SUBMISSIONS PERIOD FOR INTERNATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION FOCUS IRAN: CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO  OPENS TODAY LOS ANGELES, July 21, 2014 — The Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) and Farhang Foundation are opening the call for submissions for the international juried exhibition Focus Iran: Contemporary Photography and Video. The exhibition is an opportunity to expose and feature emerging and mid-career photographers and media artists from around the world. Artists 18 years of age and older are invited to apply between July 21 and September 21, 2014. There is no entry fee to participate, and submissions will be accepted through the free online service CaFÉ at CallForEntry.org. A qualified panel of jurors will consider each photograph or video submission’s pertinence to Iranian culture and heritage, originality, skill, and artistic vision. Only digital format entries will be eligible, with a maximum of three photographs and/or one video entry per artist. Approximately 25 selected photographs and videos will be displayed in a group exhibition to take place at the Craft & Folk Art Museum from January 25 to May 3, 2015. An opening reception will take place on the evening ofSaturday, January 24. Selected photographs and videos will be printed and framed or transferred to DVD by the Craft & Folk Art Museum for exhibition display. The complete rules of submission can be found atFarhang.org/FocusIran. Jurors Steven Albahari is the founder and publisher of 21st Editions, a press for hand-crafted journals and monographs of photographic art. Each handmade monograph is illustrated with original signed photographs and incorporates new writing by the artists themselves, leading contemporary historians, critics, poets, novelists, and philosophers. Made one at a time, 21st Editions’ titles use the finest papers, bindings, and printing techniques that range from classically elegant letterpress to the most advanced offset processes available today. Ala Ebtekar is a San Francisco-based visual artist known primarily for his paintings, drawings, and installations that explore the juncture between history and myth, while melding Persian mythology, science, philosophy and pop culture together. Receiving his BA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2002 and his MFA degree from Stanford University in 2006, his work has been widely exhibited internationally and throughout the United States in such shows as “One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now,” a touring exhibition originating at the Asia Society, NYC, “2006 California Biennial” at the Orange County Museum of Art, and most recently in “The Global Contemporary: Art Worlds After 1989” at theZKM – Museum for Contemporary Art in Germany. Cat Jimenez is the Executive Director of the Lucie Foundation, Executive Producer of the Lucie Awards and Co-Founder of the Month of Photography Los Angeles (MOPLA). She studied photography at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and was featured in the Smithsonian Institute and The Los Angeles Filipino American Centennial Commemoration Committee Project entitled “I am Today’s Filipino,” recognizing and preserving the stories of individuals making a contribution to American life. Organizing Institutions Situated on historic Museum Row since 1973, the Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) is an invaluable contributor to Los Angeles culture, exhibiting current artists with intriguing perspectives and distinctive practices. CAFAM offers consistently unexpected exhibitions of compelling artwork that takes traditional techniques in new, often surprising directions. Hosted hands-on workshops make the Craft & Folk Art Museum a place to see art and make art – all under one roof. Uncommon discoveries are also guaranteed at The Shop at the Craft & Folk Art Museum, which offers an expertly curated array of handmade items from skilled artisans. The intimate, atypical museum space and independent spirit at CAFAM combine to create an atmosphere of genuine excitement and delight. Step inside, and become a part of what’s happening at CAFAM. For more information, visit CAFAM.org  About Farhang Foundation Farhang Foundation is a non-religious, non-political and not-for-profit foundation established in 2008 to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. The foundation supports a broad range of academic activities in Southern California by funding university programs, publications and conferences. The foundation also supports diverse cultural programs such as the celebration of Nowruz and Mehregan, theater, dance performances, film screenings and poetry reading in Southern California. And, in cooperation with various cultural and academic institutions, Farhang Foundation funds major programs and exhibitions about Iran and its culture. However, the content, viewpoints or biases expressed by individual artists, academics, institutions or events supported by the foundation belong solely to each individual party and do not necessarily reflect the views of Farhang Foundation. For more info visit Farhang.org.