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BMAG showcases Muslim cultures

Art and Islam, a year-long programme of exhibitions and events at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (BMAG), has led to new relationships between the museum and the diverse communities in the West Midlands. It has also contributed to an improved understanding of Muslim cultures amongst the general public.

The exhibitions and events, held across four museums in Birmingham from April 2006 to 2007, celebrated work from visual and performing artists inspired by Muslim cultures and served to further engage Muslim communities with BMAG. This work was extended with Journeys – a gallery trail exploring Muslim Cultures, a 52-page guide which highlights and interprets objects on display at BMAG, developed with members of local Muslim communities throughout 2008 – the guide is available free for all visitors until Jan 2010.

West Midlands' artists take the lead

The demand to take part in Art & Islam was so great that it attracted interest from across the UK, despite the entry criteria requesting specifically West Midlands artists. BMAG worked in close partnership with two Muslim arts groups from the region, Artists Circle and Ulfah Arts, to ensure the programme reflected the diverse interests and needs of the local Muslim communities. Both groups were not only involved in consultation but also in planning and organising events integral to the programme.

As Toby Watley, Head of Interpretation and Exhibitions at BMAG explained, “it was vital that all community groups felt involved and that they shared a sense of ownership of the project.”

‘A Tribute to the Burda’

Ulfah Arts, an arts organisation specialising in faith in the arts and developing talents of Muslim women, presented a series of performances for female-only audiences, one being ‘A Tribute to the Burda’ which was inspired by the Poem of the Cloak (or Qasidah Burda), a piece sung everywhere from Morocco to Malaysia. They were also central to the development and delivery of the Journeys trail.

At the same time the Muslim artists’ network, Artists Circle, played a key role in developing the programme’s finale event, Made in Britain, that promoted young talent from within the local Muslim community. As Toby Watley explains, "for BMAG it was important that we trusted and empowered the community to lead and decide what would happen within the museum. It was their event and they had complete ownership over it."

Over all, Art and Islam was significant in changing the Muslim communities’ perceptions of the museum, and helped this previously under-represented audience feel connected with the Museum’s broader programming. As a result, the museum has not only achieved a more diverse visitor base but also ensured that these potentially one-off visitors become repeat visitors and develop an ongoing relationship with the museum.

An enthusiastic reception 

The public were also enthusiastic about the exhibition, which has coincided with a heightened awareness of the wider Muslim community across Britain. As a teacher of GCSE Religious Education commented, “it is great to see a new incentive fused with traditional art in play in this exhibition. It gives me some ideas to employ in my job.”

Another non-Muslim visitor said, “these works were extremely inspiring to me. I shall visit much more to ensure I can experience more of the wonderful Islamic culture that is shown here. I hope there are more cultural art exhibitions to come.”

For more detailed information on Art and Islam please visit the case study section on the MLA research website