On October 1, the Iranian Cultural Foundation – Houston held its first gala with resounding support from the Iranian-American and Houston communities. Hosted at the J.W. Marriott, the event was attended by over 150 supporters of the ICF as well as a number of dignitaries. This year’s award was given to prominent Iranian architect Houshang Seyhoun for a lifetime of achievement in art and architecture and a positive representation of Iranians across the world.
Unfortunately, he was not able to attend the event due to last-minute travel restrictions, but the ICF, in collaboration with the Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston endowed a scholarship in his name, which was awarded to a lucky recipient that evening. The endowed scholarship will be funded through the support of the local community over the next three years and the $25,000 endowment will perpetually guarantee a $1000 scholarship to be awarded every year. The vision of the endowed scholarship is to get the architects of the future to recognize the contribution of Iranian-Americans to the profession and to be inspired by their works.
A documentary about his life was also shown during dinner. The annual gala is also ICF’s annual fundraiser, and through generous donations, a silent auction, and a rousing live auction conducted by professional auctioneer and ICF board member Navid Zanjani, the bar was set high for future events with over $18,000 raised. The evening concluded with the modern jazz sounds of Ziba Shirazi, who delighted the crowd until the end.