The Creative Cities Network of Arts and Culture in Iran will help revive the rich cultural heritage of the country, said Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi.
The Creative Cities Network of Arts and Culture, organized by the ministry’s deputy of art affairs, is a scheme to identify the artistic and cultural potentials of the cities all around the country in various categories, including literature, music, handicrafts, fashion, cinema, as well as visual and performing arts, media, and the printing and packaging industry.
“The Creative Cities Network will bring back to life the cultural memories through the forgotten stories, tales, and images, merging them with the modern-day dreams and fantasies of the society,” the minister added.
Local artists from 367 cities will present their artworks at the event “to help move toward a sustainable development of their hometown.”
“The global idea of the creative city” will help promote “the art and culture-based economy in all Iranian cities,” he said.
Salehi said the program, first introduced in 2018, will help define “new routes for development of the small cities” as the Iranian government seeks to “turn its decentralization motto into a practical and tangible method.”
The plan provides “all cities with a platform to promote their local programs and decide their own fate,” paving the way toward decentralization of the capital Tehran by enhancing smaller cities, he said.