PROJECTS and COLLABORATIONS.
Storytelling: A Gift of Hope (Founder & Creative Lead)
Storytelling: A Gift of Hope is Kiran’s flagship initiative to cultivate healing, civic imagining, justice, and belonging through the shared practice of storytelling. The initiative builds on decades of lived, researched, and tested approaches that leverage stories as humanity’s birthright to build a socially just present and future world. Rooted in the belief that storytelling is humanity’s birthright, the project creates spaces—kitchen tables, community story-circles, festivals, and cultural convenings—where people can explore memory, identity, hope, and stories for change on their own terms. Working across arts, culture, philanthropy, human rights, and grassroots community networks, the project supports changemakers in building inclusive futures, deepening their agency, and crafting narratives of connection and belonging.
More examples can be explored via Kiran's Resume, Toolkit, Testimonials, & Gift of Hope Blog
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The Power of Storytelling and New South Narratives
A special collaboration with New Orleans-based nonprofit E Pluribus Unum to create a series of videos showcasing the power of storytelling. During the Festival, we interviewed some of the South’s storytellers about their craft and ability to build empathy, and call us all to action. The project honors storytelling’s past and celebrates the 50th National Storytelling Festival. The project was geared towards confronting the issue of race head-on, cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are advancing racial equity, changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism, and championing transformative policy change. Through this work, the goal was create a more just, equitable, and inclusive South, setting an example for the rest of the nation. Kiran led the vision for this initiative, as part of a series of initiatives to mark half a century of the American storytelling revival, and position storytelling as an art and tool, and a force for social change.
A special collaboration with New Orleans-based nonprofit E Pluribus Unum to create a series of videos showcasing the power of storytelling. During the Festival, we interviewed some of the South’s storytellers about their craft and ability to build empathy, and call us all to action. The project honors storytelling’s past and celebrates the 50th National Storytelling Festival. The project was geared towards confronting the issue of race head-on, cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are advancing racial equity, changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism, and championing transformative policy change. Through this work, the goal was create a more just, equitable, and inclusive South, setting an example for the rest of the nation. Kiran led the vision for this initiative, as part of a series of initiatives to mark half a century of the American storytelling revival, and position storytelling as an art and tool, and a force for social change.
Dreaming Big with Dolly Parton
By invitation of Dolly Parton, Kiran led several initiatives to help tell Dolly Parton’s story. Including helping to establish her DreamMore resort as a storytelling site of excellence, and by providing keynotes and developing storytelling trainings for her team of Imagination Library national and global affiliates, supporting Dolly’s legacy initiatives. Kiran also got a special thank you from her majesty, Dolly herself, in the form of a personal letter and a bouquet of flowers! This initiative also inspired the development of a “sheroes journey” trauma-informed storytelling initiative to enable young people at risk to harness their stories for empowerment and the change they wish to see in the world.
Read more about Dreaming Big with Dolly Parton
By invitation of Dolly Parton, Kiran led several initiatives to help tell Dolly Parton’s story. Including helping to establish her DreamMore resort as a storytelling site of excellence, and by providing keynotes and developing storytelling trainings for her team of Imagination Library national and global affiliates, supporting Dolly’s legacy initiatives. Kiran also got a special thank you from her majesty, Dolly herself, in the form of a personal letter and a bouquet of flowers! This initiative also inspired the development of a “sheroes journey” trauma-informed storytelling initiative to enable young people at risk to harness their stories for empowerment and the change they wish to see in the world.
Read more about Dreaming Big with Dolly Parton
Celebrating Appalachian Traditions with Yo-Yo Ma
In 2022, Kiran was invited to design a collaboration with UN peace ambassador and international cellist Yo-Yo Ma on a project that celebrated Appalachian traditions. Kiran led a series of imagining conversations and workshops that took place May 13-15 in Western North Carolina. Other partners included Great Smoky Mountains National Park Service, community members and elders of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, Cherokee museum, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, Black in Appalachia, National Park Service, Radio Lab and others. The project convened 45 cultural and eco-activists and practitioners from across Appalachia and beyond, to help explore the emerging story of how culture connects people to the natural world and how biodiversity and human diversity strengthens our relationship to nature and to each other, brings us empathetic connections as we imagine and build our collective future.
Read more in Keeping Things Whole
In 2022, Kiran was invited to design a collaboration with UN peace ambassador and international cellist Yo-Yo Ma on a project that celebrated Appalachian traditions. Kiran led a series of imagining conversations and workshops that took place May 13-15 in Western North Carolina. Other partners included Great Smoky Mountains National Park Service, community members and elders of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, Cherokee museum, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, Black in Appalachia, National Park Service, Radio Lab and others. The project convened 45 cultural and eco-activists and practitioners from across Appalachia and beyond, to help explore the emerging story of how culture connects people to the natural world and how biodiversity and human diversity strengthens our relationship to nature and to each other, brings us empathetic connections as we imagine and build our collective future.
Read more in Keeping Things Whole
Image courtesy of Austin Mann
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Selected Keynotes, Facilitation & Advisory Work
Climate Resilience, Place & Civic Imagination. Kiran’s work in climate and place-based resilience centers storytelling as a tool for grounding science, community knowledge, and cultural memory.
· Keynote & Dialogue Lead, Stories That Ground Us: Building Resilience Through Memory, Place, and Imagination — Institute for Climate and Community Resilience (ICCR), University of Tennessee, Knoxville (November 2025)
· Storyteller in Residence, Stories from the Front Porch — Appalachia Funders Network; civic imagining sessions with 150 funders, artists, and practitioners across Appalachia (April–May 2025)
· Task Force Strategy Advisor, Neighbor-to-Neighbor Disaster Relief Fund — East Tennessee Foundation; trust-based distribution of $6M for long-term Hurricane Helene recovery (2024–2025)
Democracy, Folklife & Public Narrative. Kiran advances national and international conversations on how culture, folklife, and storytelling strengthen democratic participation, belonging, and civic trust.
· Narrative Consultant, Stories to Meet This Moment — American Folklore Society & Folklife Coalition partners (Ongoing through August 2025)
· Keynote & National Dialogues Facilitator, Telling Stories That Matter: In Times of Crisis — American Folklore Society & Living Traditions Network (May 2024)
· Specialist Advisor, Global Combating Disinformation in the City Playbook — University of Melbourne & German Marshall Fund of the United States (February–May 2024)
Disability Justice, Education & Systems Change
Kiran’s work in disability justice and education focuses on shifting power, amplifying lived experience, and building narrative capacity for advocacy and leadership.
· Keynote & Lead Consultant, Stories That Sustain: Building Resilient Parent Centers — America-250 storytelling training for 80 national disability justice practitioners and parent advocates, Sacramento (September 2025)
· Keynote, Storytelling for Shifting Power, Advocacy, and Change — Council for Exceptional Children & Council of Administrators of Special Education; Alexandria, VA and U.S. House & Senate (August 2024)
· Keynote, Storytelling to Build a Culture of Belonging — 39th Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, Honolulu (February 2024)
Community Healing, Culture & Collective Care. Through large-scale convenings and community dialogues, Kiran supports storytelling as a practice of healing, solidarity, and active hope.
· Keynote & Community Dialogue, Storytelling for Cultivating Active Hope and Healing — Dogwood Health Trust Annual Convening; serving 450 nonprofits across Western North Carolina and the Qualla Boundary (October 2025)
· Co-Designer & Facilitator, Community, Foodways, Gender Justice and Storytelling Convening — Mellon-funded program, UNC Sonja Haynes Stone Center (September 2024)
· Plenary & Co-Designer, “We Need to Talk!” Storytelling Community-Building Retreat — NEA Our Town grant, Princeton, WV (March 2024)
Peacebuilding, Human Rights & Global Dialogue. Kiran’s international work uses storytelling to foster empathy, cross-cultural understanding, and nonviolent pathways through conflict.
· Keynote Speaker, Rotary International Global Peace Centers — engagement supports peace centers across Uganda, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, Japan, Thailand, Sweden, and the U.S. (April 2024)
· Leader, Designer & Moderator, Stories for Peace & Justice: Israel/Palestine Crisis — Rotary World Peace Fellows global testimonial sessions (January 2024)
Faith, Vocation & Ethical LeadershipKiran explores storytelling as a moral and vocational practice that connects purpose, ethics, and public life.
· Keynote, Storytelling & Vocation — King Institute for Faith and Culture (NetVUE/Lilly Foundation) (November 2024)
· Commencement Keynote, ETSU Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center Graduation (May 2024)
· Keynote, Stories for Hope & Change — Tennessee Valley Authority, Office of the General Counsel (August 2024)
More keynotes and engagements can be viewed with Kiran's Resume
Climate Resilience, Place & Civic Imagination. Kiran’s work in climate and place-based resilience centers storytelling as a tool for grounding science, community knowledge, and cultural memory.
· Keynote & Dialogue Lead, Stories That Ground Us: Building Resilience Through Memory, Place, and Imagination — Institute for Climate and Community Resilience (ICCR), University of Tennessee, Knoxville (November 2025)
· Storyteller in Residence, Stories from the Front Porch — Appalachia Funders Network; civic imagining sessions with 150 funders, artists, and practitioners across Appalachia (April–May 2025)
· Task Force Strategy Advisor, Neighbor-to-Neighbor Disaster Relief Fund — East Tennessee Foundation; trust-based distribution of $6M for long-term Hurricane Helene recovery (2024–2025)
Democracy, Folklife & Public Narrative. Kiran advances national and international conversations on how culture, folklife, and storytelling strengthen democratic participation, belonging, and civic trust.
· Narrative Consultant, Stories to Meet This Moment — American Folklore Society & Folklife Coalition partners (Ongoing through August 2025)
· Keynote & National Dialogues Facilitator, Telling Stories That Matter: In Times of Crisis — American Folklore Society & Living Traditions Network (May 2024)
· Specialist Advisor, Global Combating Disinformation in the City Playbook — University of Melbourne & German Marshall Fund of the United States (February–May 2024)
Disability Justice, Education & Systems Change
Kiran’s work in disability justice and education focuses on shifting power, amplifying lived experience, and building narrative capacity for advocacy and leadership.
· Keynote & Lead Consultant, Stories That Sustain: Building Resilient Parent Centers — America-250 storytelling training for 80 national disability justice practitioners and parent advocates, Sacramento (September 2025)
· Keynote, Storytelling for Shifting Power, Advocacy, and Change — Council for Exceptional Children & Council of Administrators of Special Education; Alexandria, VA and U.S. House & Senate (August 2024)
· Keynote, Storytelling to Build a Culture of Belonging — 39th Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, Honolulu (February 2024)
Community Healing, Culture & Collective Care. Through large-scale convenings and community dialogues, Kiran supports storytelling as a practice of healing, solidarity, and active hope.
· Keynote & Community Dialogue, Storytelling for Cultivating Active Hope and Healing — Dogwood Health Trust Annual Convening; serving 450 nonprofits across Western North Carolina and the Qualla Boundary (October 2025)
· Co-Designer & Facilitator, Community, Foodways, Gender Justice and Storytelling Convening — Mellon-funded program, UNC Sonja Haynes Stone Center (September 2024)
· Plenary & Co-Designer, “We Need to Talk!” Storytelling Community-Building Retreat — NEA Our Town grant, Princeton, WV (March 2024)
Peacebuilding, Human Rights & Global Dialogue. Kiran’s international work uses storytelling to foster empathy, cross-cultural understanding, and nonviolent pathways through conflict.
· Keynote Speaker, Rotary International Global Peace Centers — engagement supports peace centers across Uganda, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, Japan, Thailand, Sweden, and the U.S. (April 2024)
· Leader, Designer & Moderator, Stories for Peace & Justice: Israel/Palestine Crisis — Rotary World Peace Fellows global testimonial sessions (January 2024)
Faith, Vocation & Ethical LeadershipKiran explores storytelling as a moral and vocational practice that connects purpose, ethics, and public life.
· Keynote, Storytelling & Vocation — King Institute for Faith and Culture (NetVUE/Lilly Foundation) (November 2024)
· Commencement Keynote, ETSU Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center Graduation (May 2024)
· Keynote, Stories for Hope & Change — Tennessee Valley Authority, Office of the General Counsel (August 2024)
More keynotes and engagements can be viewed with Kiran's Resume
Image: collage of images from the toolkit
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Cultivating Our Stories to Meet This Moment- A Toolkit.
Storytelling is a true collaboration, a call-and-response tradition rather than a hierarchy. It’s our superpower, and each time we use it, we grow stronger. And behind every story is a desire to love and be loved. If our elected leaders fail to understand this, then we must lead ourselves. Kiran’s Telling Stories that Matter: Cultivating Our Stories to Meet This Moment--storytelling toolkit supports educators, peacebuilders, community organizers, students, and changemakers wanting to protect democracy and human rights. It is designed to offer creative methods to explore compassionate storytelling and to support the people and causes you love. Kiran’s goal has been to make this toolkit less theoretical and more practical—It incorporates activities like photography, spoken word, and oral history as methods for healing and community-building. Kiran pairs the toolkit with his blog, Storytelling: A Gift of Hope. By understanding the art of storytelling, we can work to center the stories that have existed on the margins for far too long—while ensuring that we pay attention to the ones that have not yet been told. |
Gather ‘Round the Table: Stories of Marshalltown (Iowa)
A Socially Engaged Storytelling, Belonging, and Building Bridges Project
An intimate place-based residency that enabled Marshalltown residents to explore their own stories of home, place, and heritage. Through kitchen table conversations, front-porch storytelling, town square gatherings, and creative workshops, the project brought residents together across generations, languages, and lived experiences. Gather ‘Round the Table honored the ways everyday stories shape civic life, deepen cultural pride, and reveal the resilience of a community navigating transformation and recovery. Through intergenerational walks, civic roundtables, and intercultural storytelling potlucks, the initiative used story as a bridge—authentically connecting communities, linking past, present, and future, restoring trust, expanding access to neighborhood assets, and creating pathways toward shared care and economic sustainability. This approach aligned deeply with Kiran's work as a cultural narrative storyteller, public folklorist, peacebuilder, and socially engaged artist. Grounded in his research on the aesthetics of home and years of practice, he approached the residency as a relational process rooted in care, listening, and co-creation. Read more: Arts & Culture Alliance 2025 Community Artist Recipient A blog describing the project.
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Storytelling Facilitator. For the US Dept, of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Institute for Contemporary Education, and the Dialogue Institute; project brought 20 youth leaders from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq to Cherokee, North Carolina; enabled fellows to reflect and make sense of their US experiences and to cultivate future stories to build relations between each other, their home nations, and the US.
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Namaste Y'all: Fostering Peace Through Stories In August 2017, a small group of white supremacists planned to stage a Confederate rally in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It had been two weeks since violence erupted at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and people’s anger had not cooled. This article describes Kiran’s work to promote and advance nonviolence action. “Namaste, Y’all” Read Namaste, Y'all. An interview by Jeff Ruby in The Rotarian magazine. |
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Spoken Word at the United Nations in Geneva
Kiran presenting his "Chip on my Shoulder" spoken word poem, at the United Nation's Geneva Peace Week Pathways to Peace. Geneva, Switzerland. In 2017, Kiran was one seven people worldwide selected to receive the “Champion of Peace” award at Rotary International Day at the United Nations in Geneva. The award ceremony took place as part of Geneva Peace Week. In addition to speaking to the global delegations of NGOs and humanitarian agencies, Kiran also developed a series of storytelling training and advocacy sessions for youth and emerging peacebuilders. In one session, Kiran offered some of his own spoken word poetry. |
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Freedom Stories
During a year of racial reckoning in 2020, Kiran spearheaded a public program that examined underrepresented African American voices in Appalachia, racial bias in education, and ongoing civil rights struggles. This two-year program, called Freedom Stories, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, developed deep partnerships with dozens of Black-led cultural institutions, grassroots youth and community movements, dozens of universities and colleges, and civil liberties groups and associations. The initiative centred on youth participants, artists, activists, scholars, and ultimately, reached 1.5 million people worldwide. The project culminated in an educational Congressional briefing and became a permanent community and educational resource for both higher education and K-12 educators. Data showed that 93% of survey respondents now felt more motivated to listen to diverse stories, 70% felt moved to engage in continued racial justice dialogues, and 100% agreed that programs like these “enrich our society.” Kiran recruited historian Dr Alicetyne Turley, who directed the project. The initial conversation, “Do Black Lives Matter in Appalachia?” invited scholars, artists, and community members, and numerous partners to dialogue as part of a year of racial reckoning following the Murder of George Floyd in 2021. Learn more about Freedom Stories Watch the Congressional briefing about Freedom Stories in partnership with National Humanities Alliance |
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Artistic Mentor.
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Facilitator and partner presenter for Wordsmiths & Storytellers for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, themed “Youth and the Future of Culture.” July 2025, Creative Encounters 2023, On The Move 2017.
Creative Thought Leader. Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Creative Encounters; Living Religions; designed a two-week “kitchen table” futurisms theology program with daily community conversations, interactive workshops, talks, and main stage panel discussions; provided creative storytelling experiences for 1 million visitors; the National Mall and the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. June 29 - July 9, 2023. For more information, view The Humanity of Stories from the Smithsonian & Storytelling- a gift of hope blog
Co-Curator and Presenter. On the Move Immigrant Artist Program for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s 50th Anniversary; National Mall, Washington, DC. 2017. Learn more from “What We Bring: Immigrant Gifts.
Leading Story Circles in Honor of Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel
"All the training I've had as a Rotary Peace Fellow, a storyteller, folklorist, and as an educator has taught me to think about how important it is to try to leave the world a better place than it was when we found it. Before I was born, my own parents fled their home under threat of genocide. This is why I am alive today and why I support genocide prevention. In 2016, I led a story circle in the Senate in support of a new bill to prevent genocide. The participants were people that came from different backgrounds, belief systems, faith and political affiliations. We all shared stories and found common ground. I remember walking away feeling as though it might have been some of the most important work I’d ever done. Since that time, I’ve kept up with the progress on that initiative and I’m pleased to report that the initiative named in honor of Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, was passed by both the House and Senate! The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act received an overwhelming 367 to 4 vote and was signed into law by the President on January 14, 2019."
Read more about the Elie Wiesel Conflict Prevention Act Advocacy
"All the training I've had as a Rotary Peace Fellow, a storyteller, folklorist, and as an educator has taught me to think about how important it is to try to leave the world a better place than it was when we found it. Before I was born, my own parents fled their home under threat of genocide. This is why I am alive today and why I support genocide prevention. In 2016, I led a story circle in the Senate in support of a new bill to prevent genocide. The participants were people that came from different backgrounds, belief systems, faith and political affiliations. We all shared stories and found common ground. I remember walking away feeling as though it might have been some of the most important work I’d ever done. Since that time, I’ve kept up with the progress on that initiative and I’m pleased to report that the initiative named in honor of Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, was passed by both the House and Senate! The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act received an overwhelming 367 to 4 vote and was signed into law by the President on January 14, 2019."
Read more about the Elie Wiesel Conflict Prevention Act Advocacy
TALKS and PODCASTS
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American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress- Botkins Lecture.
Kiran Singh Sirah discusses the power and artistry of storytelling as an ancient art form and as the world's oldest form of communication. He also discusses what he describes as one of the greatest community-building tools that we can use to foster, cultivate and strengthen peace and collaboration in our communities, and will also explore how we might collectively use new storytelling forms in the arenas of peace and community development to help establish a conflict-free world |
National Endowment for the Arts “ArtWorks” Podcast
Kiran talks about creating community through stories, the ability of story to transcend petty politics and connect us to what is essential. His own story is pretty interesting: born in England to parents who had been expelled from their home in Uganda and grandparents who were part of the liberation movement in India. He understands first-hand the ability of stories to translate cultures to each other. We also hear a story from NEA National Heritage Fellow Sheila Kay Adams who can spin a tale with the best of them.
Kiran talks about creating community through stories, the ability of story to transcend petty politics and connect us to what is essential. His own story is pretty interesting: born in England to parents who had been expelled from their home in Uganda and grandparents who were part of the liberation movement in India. He understands first-hand the ability of stories to translate cultures to each other. We also hear a story from NEA National Heritage Fellow Sheila Kay Adams who can spin a tale with the best of them.
Finding Peace at the +Peace Coalition International Day of Peace
Kiran reflects upon the +Peace Coalition Action Network meeting he attended in New York City in December 2019.
Kiran reflects upon the +Peace Coalition Action Network meeting he attended in New York City in December 2019.
President, International Storytelling Center (2013–2023)
As President of the International Storytelling Center (ISC), Kiran Singh Sirah led a decade of transformational growth that positioned ISC as a global flagship for storytelling as a force for cultural equity, civic life, and peace. Centering marginalized and underrepresented communities, Kiran expanded the definition of storytelling and launched landmark initiatives, including Freedom Stories, Stories for Change, Appalachian Youth Summit, and the New Pluralist More Than One Story initiative, while guiding its flagship National Storytelling Festival through to its 50th anniversary.
Under his leadership, ISC emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy ( from when he was hired) to become a thriving major cultural institution with an annual reach of more than one million people. Sirah secured significant national funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, Purdue, and others, and elevated ISC to a top-rank Major Cultural Institution status in Tennessee—described by the former Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission as “the best comeback story for Appalachia.”
Sirah represented ISC at global peace assemblies and built partnerships with institutions including the Smithsonian, United Nations, Library of Congress, Google Arts & Culture, Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the White House, and more. His work has been recognized internationally, including being named a “Champion of Peace” at the United Nations, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma to amplify Appalachian traditions, supporting community healing efforts in Charleston after the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME massacre, and advocating for a bipartisan peace policy that contributed to the passage of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Mass Atrocities Prevention Act. Learn More here:
As President of the International Storytelling Center (ISC), Kiran Singh Sirah led a decade of transformational growth that positioned ISC as a global flagship for storytelling as a force for cultural equity, civic life, and peace. Centering marginalized and underrepresented communities, Kiran expanded the definition of storytelling and launched landmark initiatives, including Freedom Stories, Stories for Change, Appalachian Youth Summit, and the New Pluralist More Than One Story initiative, while guiding its flagship National Storytelling Festival through to its 50th anniversary.
Under his leadership, ISC emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy ( from when he was hired) to become a thriving major cultural institution with an annual reach of more than one million people. Sirah secured significant national funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, Purdue, and others, and elevated ISC to a top-rank Major Cultural Institution status in Tennessee—described by the former Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission as “the best comeback story for Appalachia.”
Sirah represented ISC at global peace assemblies and built partnerships with institutions including the Smithsonian, United Nations, Library of Congress, Google Arts & Culture, Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the White House, and more. His work has been recognized internationally, including being named a “Champion of Peace” at the United Nations, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma to amplify Appalachian traditions, supporting community healing efforts in Charleston after the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME massacre, and advocating for a bipartisan peace policy that contributed to the passage of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Mass Atrocities Prevention Act. Learn More here:
International Cultural Leadership, Museums & Peacebuilding (Selected History)
Kiran’s work spans nearly three decades of international cultural leadership at the intersection of arts, museums, conflict resolution, social justice, and public storytelling. As Co–Principal Investigator and thought leader for Confronting Contention: Deploying Culture in Conflict Resolution, a Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage “Grand Challenges” partnership, Kiran helped convene an international symposium at the National Museum of Natural History, bringing together cultural heritage practitioners, artists, educators, media professionals, and peacebuilders to explore how culture can be mobilized in contexts of conflict, diplomacy, and civic repair.
Before coming to the US, in Scotland, Kiran held senior curatorial and programmatic roles across major national museums, including National Museums Scotland, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the People’s Palace Museum of Social History. This work included a senior curatorial role for a £30 million museum refurbishment, establishing Scotland’s first museum citizenship and sectarianism education curriculum, designing interfaith and refugee-centered public programs, and developing participatory storytelling initiatives that have since engaged more than 100,000 people and built over 70 creative partnerships across diverse and historically divided communities.
Kiran also led Sense Scotland’s international arts and communications program and the Helen Keller International Arts Award, supporting artists with complex disabilities, and established and secured UNESCO Creative Cities recognition for Touchbase, Sense Scotland’s arts and disability center.
Internationally, Kiran has delivered cultural narrative strategy and peacebuilding consultations in Colombia with internally displaced communities, moderated reconciliation programs for leaders from Northern Ireland’s divided communities, and presented at UNESCO, British Council, European Commission, and UK Museums Association convenings on heritage management, cultural responsibility, and the future of museums.
Kiran also initiated Towards Understanding Slavery: Past and Present, which was an arts acquisitions and community conversations initiative for a city of 3 million ( across 13 museums and 40 libraries) to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade. Curated an ‘African Voices' exhibit and community engagement program of first-person narratives of artists from Scotland's African diaspora communities. The project encouraged the relinquishing of institutional control by empowering diverse interpretations of the aesthetics of cultural property.
By invitation of the European Commission, Kiran presented models of arts, culture, and educational practice at a Societies in Crisis convening, as part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, with counterparts from across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. Kiran was invited as the sole City of Glasgow representative in the city twinning initiative with Marseille, France: 2007.
Kiran’s publications reflect a long-standing commitment to museums as civic institutions with ethical and social responsibilities. Writing has addressed the legacies of slavery, faith and pluralism, and the role of museums within broader societal discourse, including British Museum reviews and contributions to Material Religion, the UK Museums Journal, SHCG News, and exhibition publications for Glasgow Museums commemorating the abolition of the British slave trade.
Kiran's resume includes more on this work:
Kiran’s work spans nearly three decades of international cultural leadership at the intersection of arts, museums, conflict resolution, social justice, and public storytelling. As Co–Principal Investigator and thought leader for Confronting Contention: Deploying Culture in Conflict Resolution, a Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage “Grand Challenges” partnership, Kiran helped convene an international symposium at the National Museum of Natural History, bringing together cultural heritage practitioners, artists, educators, media professionals, and peacebuilders to explore how culture can be mobilized in contexts of conflict, diplomacy, and civic repair.
Before coming to the US, in Scotland, Kiran held senior curatorial and programmatic roles across major national museums, including National Museums Scotland, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the People’s Palace Museum of Social History. This work included a senior curatorial role for a £30 million museum refurbishment, establishing Scotland’s first museum citizenship and sectarianism education curriculum, designing interfaith and refugee-centered public programs, and developing participatory storytelling initiatives that have since engaged more than 100,000 people and built over 70 creative partnerships across diverse and historically divided communities.
Kiran also led Sense Scotland’s international arts and communications program and the Helen Keller International Arts Award, supporting artists with complex disabilities, and established and secured UNESCO Creative Cities recognition for Touchbase, Sense Scotland’s arts and disability center.
Internationally, Kiran has delivered cultural narrative strategy and peacebuilding consultations in Colombia with internally displaced communities, moderated reconciliation programs for leaders from Northern Ireland’s divided communities, and presented at UNESCO, British Council, European Commission, and UK Museums Association convenings on heritage management, cultural responsibility, and the future of museums.
Kiran also initiated Towards Understanding Slavery: Past and Present, which was an arts acquisitions and community conversations initiative for a city of 3 million ( across 13 museums and 40 libraries) to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade. Curated an ‘African Voices' exhibit and community engagement program of first-person narratives of artists from Scotland's African diaspora communities. The project encouraged the relinquishing of institutional control by empowering diverse interpretations of the aesthetics of cultural property.
By invitation of the European Commission, Kiran presented models of arts, culture, and educational practice at a Societies in Crisis convening, as part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, with counterparts from across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. Kiran was invited as the sole City of Glasgow representative in the city twinning initiative with Marseille, France: 2007.
Kiran’s publications reflect a long-standing commitment to museums as civic institutions with ethical and social responsibilities. Writing has addressed the legacies of slavery, faith and pluralism, and the role of museums within broader societal discourse, including British Museum reviews and contributions to Material Religion, the UK Museums Journal, SHCG News, and exhibition publications for Glasgow Museums commemorating the abolition of the British slave trade.
Kiran's resume includes more on this work:
Storytelling for Healing and Empowerment. Mother Emanuel AME Church. Following the deadly shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in 2015--which took nine parishioners' lives, Kiran was invited to lead a series of storytelling and healing discussions and dialogues aimed at fostering healing and community empowerment. It included a round tables to discuss contested flags and symbols, a public storytelling, conversations with local activist-artists, and a workshop for students from Burke High School, empowering them to cultivate their own stories for change. Nine students then performed their personal stories at a local public event festival. The project also established a formal, first-of-its-kind, proclamation of storytelling friendship between two southern US cities. Learn more
ARTICLES and INTERVIEWS
EXECUTIVE BOARD OF AMERICAN FOLKLORE SOCIETY
Article inviting Kiran to the Executive Board of the American Folklore Society, to advise and build relationships. 2024.
CHOOSE TO BE CURIOUS
Podcast. Kiran discusses the role of storytelling to foster curiosity, empathy, and belonging. Shared by Pacific Radio Network for national distribution on Nov 6, 2024.
STORYTELLING AS VOCATION
Podcast. Kiran discussed how storytelling can deepen human connection, foster curiosity, and build relationships that can bridge divides and create spaces where people feel seen and heard.
THE PATH OF A GLOBAL STORYTELLER
Video Podcast. Kiran describes his journey as a storyteller and cultural practitioner for social change. His beliefs in the value of folk arts storytelling to build community. 2023.
HUMANITY STORIES WITH KIRAN SINGH SIRAH
Smithsonian Folklife writer, Eileen Jones and the incredible production team at Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage capturing the essence of our "kitchen table storytelling" curated experiences at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on National Mall.
THE POWER OF STORYTELLING WITH KIRAN SINGH SIRAH
A podcast on the power of storytelling to heal, unite, and inspire action.
ROTARY VOICES: WHY I AM A PEACEBUILDER AND HOW YOU CAN BE ONE, TOO
Reflections on how peacebuilding can be achieved through small acts of kindness
ROTARY PEACE FELLOW REFLECTS ON AFGHANISTAN, HELPING OTHERS IN CRISIS
Tips on how to help people in moments of crisis
SMITHSONIAN FESTIVAL BLOG: LESSONS IN STORYTELLING, BRIDGING CULTURES AND COMMUNITIES
An article by Angelica Aboulhosn about Kiran's work exploring the power of storytelling
A! MAGAZINE FOR THE ARTS INTERVIEW
An interview with Kiran about his tenure at the International Storytelling Center
MAIN STREET AMERICAN: EXAMINING THE THUMBPRINTS
A blog about rethinking narratives with Main Street America
HARNESSING THE POWER OF STORYTELLING IN APPALACHIA
A piece from "NEH for All" highlighting ISC's and Kiran's work in the Young Appalachian Story Summit.
Article inviting Kiran to the Executive Board of the American Folklore Society, to advise and build relationships. 2024.
CHOOSE TO BE CURIOUS
Podcast. Kiran discusses the role of storytelling to foster curiosity, empathy, and belonging. Shared by Pacific Radio Network for national distribution on Nov 6, 2024.
STORYTELLING AS VOCATION
Podcast. Kiran discussed how storytelling can deepen human connection, foster curiosity, and build relationships that can bridge divides and create spaces where people feel seen and heard.
THE PATH OF A GLOBAL STORYTELLER
Video Podcast. Kiran describes his journey as a storyteller and cultural practitioner for social change. His beliefs in the value of folk arts storytelling to build community. 2023.
HUMANITY STORIES WITH KIRAN SINGH SIRAH
Smithsonian Folklife writer, Eileen Jones and the incredible production team at Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage capturing the essence of our "kitchen table storytelling" curated experiences at the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on National Mall.
THE POWER OF STORYTELLING WITH KIRAN SINGH SIRAH
A podcast on the power of storytelling to heal, unite, and inspire action.
ROTARY VOICES: WHY I AM A PEACEBUILDER AND HOW YOU CAN BE ONE, TOO
Reflections on how peacebuilding can be achieved through small acts of kindness
ROTARY PEACE FELLOW REFLECTS ON AFGHANISTAN, HELPING OTHERS IN CRISIS
Tips on how to help people in moments of crisis
SMITHSONIAN FESTIVAL BLOG: LESSONS IN STORYTELLING, BRIDGING CULTURES AND COMMUNITIES
An article by Angelica Aboulhosn about Kiran's work exploring the power of storytelling
A! MAGAZINE FOR THE ARTS INTERVIEW
An interview with Kiran about his tenure at the International Storytelling Center
MAIN STREET AMERICAN: EXAMINING THE THUMBPRINTS
A blog about rethinking narratives with Main Street America
HARNESSING THE POWER OF STORYTELLING IN APPALACHIA
A piece from "NEH for All" highlighting ISC's and Kiran's work in the Young Appalachian Story Summit.
KIRAN SINGH SIRAH TELLS TALES
An expose by Maria Hardee Milling for Blue Ridge Country magazine.
An expose by Maria Hardee Milling for Blue Ridge Country magazine.
INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER OFFERS IDEAS TO HELP RESIDENTS
A public workshop invite from the Charleston County Public Library in South Carolina following the tragedy at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
A public workshop invite from the Charleston County Public Library in South Carolina following the tragedy at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
STORYTELLING & COMMUNITY IN JONESBOROUGH, TENNESSEE
An op-ed for Main Street America.
An op-ed for Main Street America.
STORYTELLING PROGRAMS FOR AT-RISK YOUTH RESONATE WITH SIRAH
An interview by Lynn Richardson for the Johnson City News & Neighbor.
An interview by Lynn Richardson for the Johnson City News & Neighbor.
“Kiran understands at a very deep level that art not only holds intrinsic value, but is a powerful tool for social change. I have seen him link poetry, storytelling and photography with issues as diverse as gang warfare, human trafficking, peacebuilding, and countering violent extremism. This ability to link disparate world views and modalities for peace is extremely rare, and Kiran is a genius in this regard. His ability to link different cultures, his brilliant ingenuity, his vast creativity, his love for a wide range of storytelling traditions – and his modesty -- strike me as the values we desperately need during a polarizing and traumatic time in the world. Kiran is a once-in-a-generation social leader” - Melanie Greenberg. Managing Director, Peacebuilding, Humanity United.
“Kiran’s work building community and cross-cultural constructive ties among people through their most cherished and meaningful cultural assets is much needed in our globalized societies, in search of a creative, peaceful future. I applaud him for his talent, devotion, innovation, and energy in service of his cause–the cause of all of us.” --Dr. Daniel Sheehy, Director Emeritus, Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage
“Kiran’s contributions explore culturally diverse approaches through working with communities affected by conflict and marginalization.” --Joanne Orr, Chair of UK National Commission, UNESCO Scotland Committee
“Compared to other education and public relations professionals whom I have worked with, Kiran Sirah has a sharp instinct for presenting complex information from a relatable and fresh perspective.” --Dr. Alice Wessen, Public Engagement Manager, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
“With his background in the arts as well as an ability to teach effectively, Kiran gives individuals and communities new ways to approach collaborative efforts aimed at conflict resolution on any level.” --Rebecca Popham, Managing Editor, Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation-USA
“Kiran’s stories and hope for a sustainable and kind world are relevant to our lives and a perfect antidote for the culture of fear, ignorance, and violence,” - Catherine Noble, Iowa Veterans Home.
Read More Testimonials.
“Kiran’s work building community and cross-cultural constructive ties among people through their most cherished and meaningful cultural assets is much needed in our globalized societies, in search of a creative, peaceful future. I applaud him for his talent, devotion, innovation, and energy in service of his cause–the cause of all of us.” --Dr. Daniel Sheehy, Director Emeritus, Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage
“Kiran’s contributions explore culturally diverse approaches through working with communities affected by conflict and marginalization.” --Joanne Orr, Chair of UK National Commission, UNESCO Scotland Committee
“Compared to other education and public relations professionals whom I have worked with, Kiran Sirah has a sharp instinct for presenting complex information from a relatable and fresh perspective.” --Dr. Alice Wessen, Public Engagement Manager, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
“With his background in the arts as well as an ability to teach effectively, Kiran gives individuals and communities new ways to approach collaborative efforts aimed at conflict resolution on any level.” --Rebecca Popham, Managing Editor, Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation-USA
“Kiran’s stories and hope for a sustainable and kind world are relevant to our lives and a perfect antidote for the culture of fear, ignorance, and violence,” - Catherine Noble, Iowa Veterans Home.
Read More Testimonials.