The Islamic Art and Material Culture Collaborative, a new research network based in Toronto that brings together the capacities and resources of the University of Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Aga Khan Museum. The aim of the IAMCC is to foster innovative and interdisciplinary research on Islamic art and material culture, in part by leveraging the various institutional and research capacities dotting the Toronto landscape, thereby making Toronto a natural hub for this area of research.
The IAMCC sponsors the following activities:
- A student internship program
- Monthly workshops and research seminars
- Annual public lectures
The IIS serves as administrative headquarters for the IAMCC, while planning and direction is provided by the IAMCC planning committee:
- Ruba Kana’an, Visual Studies, UTM
- Ulrike al-Khamis, Director of Collections and Public Programs, Aga Khan Museum
- Heba Mostafa, Art History, UTSG
- Fahmida Suleman, Curator, Islamic Art and Culture, Royal Ontario Museum
Latest News: The IAMCC has launched a new online eight-part monthly series entitled “Crafting Conversations: Discourses on the Craft Heritage of the Islamic World – Past, Present and Future.” Each session will take place on Zoom and you can register through Eventbrite.ca. All sessions are FREE and event details are listed based on Toronto, Canada, time (EDT).
Saturday 31 October, 1pm EDT
New from Old: Designs Inspired by the Mamluk Minbars of Cairo
Omniya Abdel Barr, Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation, Cairo, Egypt
Register here
The events for the rest of the series are as follows:
Please note that registration links for all events will be posted soon.
As all details are correct at the time of posting and may be subject to change.
Crafting Conversations: Discourses on the Craft Heritage of the Islamic World, Past, Present and Future
An Initiative of the Islamic Art and Material Culture Collaborative (IAMCC), Toronto, Canada
Hosted by Fahmida Suleman, Curator of Islamic Art & Culture, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
Saturday 31 October, 1pm EDT
New from Old: Designs Inspired by the Mamluk Minbars of Cairo
Omniya Abdel Barr, Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation, Cairo, Egypt
Co-hosted with Heba Mostafa, Assistant Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, Department of Art History, University of Toronto
Saturday 21 November, 11am EDT
Embroidery from Palestine: Disciplining the Past to Craft the Future
OmarJoseph Nasser-Khoury, anti-fashion designer, Jerusalem, Palestine
Co-hosted with Ruba Kana‘an, Assistant Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, Department of Visual Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga
Saturday 19 December, 11am EDT
Embroidery in the Age of Corona: Documentation and Practice from Iraq, Jordan and the Netherlands
Fatima Abbadi, embroiderer, collector and photographer, Capelle aan den Ijssel, Netherlands
Saturday 30 January, 11am EDT
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Is There a Difference between Islamic Art and Craft?
Parviz Tanavoli, artist, collector and scholar, Vancouver, BC, Canada; and Marcus Milwright, Professor of Islamic Art & Archaeology and Chair of the Department of Art History and Visual Studies, University of Victoria, BC, Canada
Saturday 27 February, 11am EDT
The Museum’s Role in Amplifying and Sustaining Craft and Making
Leslee Michelsen, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design (Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art), Honolulu HI, USA
Saturday 27 March, 11am EDT
From Craft to Art: Egyptian Appliqué-work in Light of Local and Global Changes
Seif El Rashidi, Director of the Barakat Trust, London, England
Co-hosted with Heba Mostafa, Assistant Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, Department of Art History, University of Toronto
Saturday 24 April, 11am EDT
Deconstructing the Code: Craft Collaborations in Morocco
Sara Ouhaddou, artist, France and Morocco; Mariam Rosser-Owen, Curator, Middle East Section, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Saturday May 29, 11am EDT
Design for a Nomadic World: The Future Heritage Lab
Azra Aksamija, Director of the MIT Future Heritage Lab and Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Program in Art, Culture and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA, USA
Co-hosted with Ulrike Al-Khamis, Interim Director and Director of Collections and Public Programs, Aga Khan Museum