102- Catalyst Presents: The Artist is Present - Tahereh Sheerazie

“The Artist is Present” is a special series which is being hosted under the Catalyst: A Creative Industries Podcast of the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at Chapman University.  “The Artis is Present” was developed under the direction of the Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art’s Director, Fiona Shen, and Registrar, Jessica Bocinski, so that a wider audience would have the opportunity to hear directly from the artists in the Escalette Collection at the University. In this final episode of the summer series host Abigail Stephens  speaks with artist Tahereh Sheerazie. Tahereh Sheerazie is a fabric artist, landscape designer, and educator. She is also a founding member of The Running Stitch, a Los-Angeles based sewing and quilting collective for Muslim women of all backgrounds. Since 2001, The Running Stitch has dedicated itself to philanthropy. All of the quilts and other textiles the group created were sold at small fundrasiers to support families and communities in need throughout the world. They have raised money for families affected by Hurricane Katrina and Northn Pakistani villages ravaged by the Kasmir earthquake. In addition to helping others, the Running Stitch served as a means of healing through community-building.