Silk Road Rising

Performing ArtsIL Illinois, United States11-50 Employees

Silk Road Rising was founded in 2002 by life partners Malik Gillani (a Pakistani Muslim) and Jamil Khoury (a Syrian Orthodox Christian) as a proactive, artistic response to the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments that swept the US in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Our mission is to advance citizenship and cultural understanding with theatre-based works created through Asian American and Middle Eastern American lenses. We accomplish this by pursuing the following artistic goals:

1. Advance the creation of and expand access to works of Asian American and Middle Eastern American artists.

2. Deepen understanding of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures within the broader community.

3. Increase access to resources and provide learning opportunities that allow individuals to explore, express and embrace a broader worldview.

Although Silk Road Rising was founded as a live theatre, we soon expanded our programs to include arts education and community outreach programs that support our core values of Discovery, Pluralism, and Empathy. We carry our mission into classrooms through EPIC, our in-school arts education program. We bring Silk Road stories to new patrons through online video plays distributed for free online and presented in communities. In our Creative Conversations program, we tour our video plays to schools, libraries, houses of worship, and community organizations where we use the plays as a catalyst for deep, engaging conversations about important social and civic issues.

As we expand the ways to deliver impact and fulfill our mission, we are growing our civic engagement and education programming. We’re forging community partnerships, expanding adult education programming, and bringing arts engagement opportunities to Chicagoans where they work.

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