On March 7th, 2010, the Smithsonian held a Nowruz festival at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery celebrating the upcoming Persian New Year. There were so many different activities including music, storytelling, backgammon games, fire jumping, food, a book signing by the one and only Najmieh Batmanglij and of course viewing the sofreh ye haft sin! We were excited to be a part of the festivities by doing the official “haft sin” table at the entrance of the Sackler building. Our theme this year was “nature” as spring is nature renewing itself. With its rustic feel, the haft seen’s seven “s” symbols were nestled in twigs, branches and nests accented with the color green.
A special thanks to my husband Zaheer who helped me set up. We had a good time meeting so many people… especially Massumeh Farhad, Chief Curator and Curator of Islamic Art at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler galleries. She was so personable. And last but not least, it’s always nice to see and have the approval of our dear friend Najmieh Batmanglij, the renowned chef and food writer who calls our work “Avant garde”.
