MACFEST celebrates Muslim women around the world on Sat 4 Mar at the Whitworth

Taking place across Sat 4 Mar at the Whitworth Art Gallery, MACFEST celebrates its 5th anniversary, Muslim Women’s Arts Festival and the incredible art and activism of Muslim women around the world with a day of unmissable exhibitions, performances and workshops for adults and children alike.

Beginning at 10.00am at The Whitworth, MACFEST’s all-day art event showcasing the works of Muslim female artists features exhibitions by Ukraine-born convert Nataliya Stefurak – who also hosts a fun-filled Face Painting session – Altrincham’s Ashfia Ashrif, Sheba Arts artist Beena Nouri ,Rochdale-based Rahela Khan,Bury-based Iranian painter Atefeh Seifi, as well as vibrant displays from Turkiye native Asuman Dokuzlu and Samar Farooq’s Calligraphy exhibition and, in honour of International Women’s Week, Yaran North West Manchester’s exhibition Take It Easy, which aims to amplify artwork by lesser-known international female artists.

Beyond the dazzling array of global art on offer, MACFEST also hosts a range of engaging interactive arts and crafts workshops throughout the day, including Card Making by Farhat Javid, Henna Painting for Adults with Atika Shakir, a captivating all-ages Calligraphy Workshop with Farzana Patel, Ebru Marble Painting by Rabia Avciand a chance to discover the rich history, profound meaning and meditative benefits of mandalas in Zaarena Bano’s Mandala Making Art Workshop.

Hosted by Amber Mirza, an insightful, detailed and entertaining Hair and Makeup session provides adults with an invaluable set of free beauty tips alongside Uzma Farooq’s workshop on Hijab Styling.

As part of its 5^th anniversary celebration at 12pm, on offer is Performances by Turkish Folk Dance group, Sudanese Supplementary School, and Dabke by Manchester Arabic School, poetry by Amir Arshad and Lydia Merrill, music by U.K. Sufi Hip Hop Group with Ismael Lea South and colleagues and an Iranian dress show by Yaran North West. Click here for tickets.

For more information and the full MACFEST itinerary, click here.