• Home
  • About
  • Programs
    • Upcoming
    • Creative Workshops
    • On View
    • Events
    • Online Events
  • Resources
  • Shop
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • More
    • Home
    • About
    • Programs
      • Upcoming
      • Creative Workshops
      • On View
      • Events
      • Online Events
    • Resources
    • Shop
    • Support
    • Contact
    • Donate
  • Home
  • About
  • Programs
    • Upcoming
    • Creative Workshops
    • On View
    • Events
    • Online Events
  • Resources
  • Shop
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Donate

Our Story

Zanbeel Art is a Los Angeles based non-profit 501(c)(3) established in 2007. We provide a platform for transnational and intercultural dialogue, and for the sharing of ideas by means of educational programs and festivals in Visual Art, History, Literature, Film, and Music. We work with schools, organizations, communities and creatives to empower a more inspiring, inclusive, and equitable Los Angeles.

Towards The Meaning of "Zanbeel"

زنبیل

The word “Zanbeel” derives from the Arabic language, and literally translates to “satchel” or “basket”. 


Utterance of “Zanbeel” is found within Persian literature, specifically Dastan-e-Amir Hamza (The Epic of Amir Hamza), composed during the Turkic Ghaznavid Dynasty. Originating as a long-established oral tradition in Persian, the Dastan (storytelling tradition) of Amir Hamza persists far and wide, spreading into a number of South Asian languages.


The Dastan-e-Amir Hamza or Hamzanama narrates the fantastic adventures of Amir Hamza. Hamza’s companion Amar Ayar carried a bag called a “Zanbeel”, which contained everything in the world and could carry anything, without ever reaching complete fullness.


The extravagant stories of this Dastan are brimming with “a continuous series of romantic interludes, threatening events, narrow escapes, and violent acts”, serving as a constellation of converging and diverging cultures, histories, lives and universes. As their journeys unfold, Hamza and Ayar find places of magical wonderment, and Ayar’s enchanted “Zanbeel” serves as an endless vessel of stories steeped with imagination, creativity, and expression.


Art is storytelling, and storytelling is art: as a scripture of the times, a multitude of fantasies and realities are juxtaposed until finally an expression of powerful art or writing emerges. 

Our Mission

Zanbeel Art's vision is to enrich and inspire students of low socio-economic schools in the United States and South Asia, through access to a variety of arts related educational outreach programs.

Support Us >

We believe in the power of arts, culture and creativity to:

Educate

Educate

Educate

We address critical social, racial, and cultural issues collectively.

Empower

Educate

Educate

We create impactful programs to feed joy and gratitude for life.

Heal

Educate

Heal

We seek to create spaces of healing, to sustain the health of the mind, body and spirit.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We believe that diversity — in all its forms — is a driver for new ideas, creativity and academic excellence. Moreover, we are dedicated to creating a climate of dignity and respect that actively opposes intolerance, bigotry, bias and discrimination in all forms.

Our Founders

Fatima Sultan

Fatima Sultan

Fatima Sultan

Fatima Sultan is a Curator, Author, and the Executive Director of Zanbeel Art. "I founded Zanbeel in memory of my beloved paternal grandmother, she has been my inspiration since early childhood." Fatima also co-founded Zanbeel’s South Asian Art and Literacy for Youth (SAALY) Program. 

Read More >

Joseph Greco

Fatima Sultan

Fatima Sultan

Joseph Greco was a co-founder of Zanbeel Art and he believes in diversity and cultural education at the LAUSD schools. Greco is a Professor of Finance at California State University, Fullerton.

Read Bio >

Our Team

The Late Cheryl Trujillo

The Late Cheryl Trujillo

The Late Cheryl Trujillo

Beloved Education Director

Read bio >

Amina Begum Ahmed

The Late Cheryl Trujillo

The Late Cheryl Trujillo

Director of Programming

Read bio >

Razina Tarr

The Late Cheryl Trujillo

Razina Tarr

Treasurer

Read bio >

Sadaf Ahmed

The Late Santiago Navila

Razina Tarr

Media Relations

Read bio >

Perry Coleman

The Late Santiago Navila

The Late Santiago Navila

Education Outreach Coordinator

Read bio >

The Late Santiago Navila

The Late Santiago Navila

The Late Santiago Navila

Curator

Read bio >

Lisa Caraway

Sana Balagamwala

Sana Balagamwala

Artist and Teacher

Read bio >

Sana Balagamwala

Sana Balagamwala

Sana Balagamwala

Author and Teacher

Read bio >

Khalid Hussein

Sana Balagamwala

Khalid Hussein

Artist and Teacher

Read bio >

Yasmin Javed

Farooq Yousafzai

Khalid Hussein

Artist, Teacher & Chemical Engineer

Read bio >

Durre Waseem

Farooq Yousafzai

Farooq Yousafzai

Artist and Teacher

Read bio >

Farooq Yousafzai

Farooq Yousafzai

Farooq Yousafzai

Artist and Teacher

Read bio >

Who Supports Us


Copyright © 2024 Zanbeel - All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Donate