The Lost Art Project Exhibition (October 16- October 30, 2015)

Shaghayegh Cyrous, a visual artist from Tehran, Iran, and current MFA graduate student at CCA, initiated the Lost Art Project upon moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012. Feeling lost after moving halfway across the globe, she began the project as a way to build connections and allow others to reflect on their own identity by engaging with the Persian rug, a symbol of her own identity. Cyrous grew up knowing the importance of the Persian rug to her community- a symbol of beauty and art, a useful object in the home, and an heirloom passed down for generations, she felt her connection to the rug grow more important to her practice. After 3 years, the Lost Art Project has now generated over 5,000 images and travelled to over 20 countries and territories including Tunisia, Palestine, Norway, and Indonesia.For this exhibition Shaghayegh Cyrous painted a phone booth located just outside the California College of the Arts Meyer Library, encasing it in patterns and symbols she has often painted on her rugs. In the storefront display case, a rug frames a slideshow of selected images from around the world taken for the Lost Art Project, and just inside the library Cyrous has installed her longest rug, measuring at just over 25 feet, along the second floor balcony. A project that continues to evolve, Shaghayegh Cyrous has opened the Lost Art Project to those who would like to contribute during its exhibition in the Meyer Library. Playing on one of the monitors near the stairs, a video features Bay Area residents being asked to identify objects that represent their own identity, much like Shaghayegh Cyrous did with her rug. Contribute to the project by drawing an object which represents your personal identity and share your story.The California College of the Arts Meyer Library invites you to COME INSIDE and explore the different elements of the Lost Art Project.