Five unmissable events from the Muslim Women’s Arts Festival

Learn the secrets of silk painting under the expert guidance of Aysha Yilmaz on Wed 16 Mar. Hosted at Gaskell House, Aysha will demonstrate how to apply motifs and designs from Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkey, while also discussing the origins of silk, and the meanings behind the artwork on show.

The work of Yemeni Muslim photographers Yumna Al Arashi and Boushra AlMutawakel are the focus of this online event, in which you’ll explore and interrogate the world as captured through their lens. Hosted by MMU Doctor of Human Geography Becky Alexis-Martin, join on Fri 18 Mar for a compelling discussion with Al-Arashi and AlMutawakel’s stunning imagery as the backdrop.

Held on Sat 19 Mar at the Science Museum, amidst Manchester’s historic industrial machinery, National Lottery Award winner Taslima Ahmed invites you to reach even further back in time with a workshop in which you’ll learn about traditional block printing. Taslima—who runs non-profit Creative Design & Manufacture—and museum staff will share the origins of the technique and its links to Greater Manchester’s textile factories. And, of course, you’ll be able to try the method yourself.

Join artist Ashfia Ashrif, both a student and teacher of illumination/Tezhip—meaning “ornamenting with gold”—painting for a fun and exciting workshop at Longsight Library on Sat 19 Mar. Alongside the demonstration, she will showcase her work while speaking about her personal history as a practitioner of this stunning form.

It’s only right to round off the first-ever Muslim Women’s Arts Festival with a magnificent musical finale at the Lowry Theatre on Sun 20 Mar. The month’s closing show will feature an array of talented performers from the North West, including Gulcin Bulut, Erdogan Bayir, Katayoun Fahimi and Sarah Yaseen.