Starting tomorrow, the DMA will host a free three-day Islamic Art Festival celebrating the Keir Collection of Islamic Art. The Keir Collection installation on view in Focus Gallery I and included in the DMA’s free general admission is the largest public presentation in the history of one of the world’s most important private collections of Islamic art. While the collection has been on view since the spring, we knew we wanted to host a large celebration in honor of the collection coming to the DMA, which led us to plan the Islamic Art Festival: The Language of Exchange.
The festival will feature talks, artist demonstrations, music, and dance performances all highlighting Islamic art and the influence it has had across cultures.
American Bedouin will perform on Thursday night.
Calligraphers from the Islamic Art Revival Series will write your name in Arabic on Saturday.
Dance performances will take place in the Atrium on Friday and Saturday.
To give you a sense of all of the exciting and informative programs that will be packed into three days, I thought it would be fun to share a “by-the-numbers” for the Islamic Art Festival:
59 – Number of musicians, dancers, artists, and speakers participating in the festival
6 – Number of Spotlight Talks in the Keir Collection of Islamic Art
15 – Total number of hours of the Islamic Art Festival—who will spend all 15 hours with us?
4 – Number of hands-on art-making activities you can do during the festival
8 – Number of music performances you can enjoy during the festival
3 – Number of dance performances you can watch during the festival
0 – The cost of attending the Islamic Art Festival
1 – Number of princesses who will speak at the DMA to kick off the festival! Tonight, DMA Members can hear a talk by Her Highness Lalla Joumala Alaoui of Morocco, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United States. If you’re not already a DMA Member, join today to experience this special opportunity.
Ewer, Egypt, late 10th–early 11th century, rock crystal, 19th-century gold mount by Jean-Valentin Morel, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.1.a–b
Casket, Iran, second half of the 14th century, brass inlaid with silver, The Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art, K.1.2014.86
The Islamic Art Festival: The Language of Exchange is made possible by Dr. Haroon Rasheed and Mrs. Rania Mohamed. We are also excited to collaborate with the Islamic Art Revival Series, the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, the Aga Khan Council for the Central United States, and the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth on several of the programs for the festival. The Keir Collection of Islamic Art is presented by Kosmos Energy.
We look forward to seeing you at the DMA over the next three days!
Stacey Lizotte is Head of Adult Programming and Multimedia Services at the DMA.