A call out to our readers: do you or anyone you know look after a public collection of Islamic art and material culture in the UK or Ireland?
The newly established Subject Specialist Network (SSN) for Islamic Art and Material Culture is extending an invitation to participate in their Islamic Mapping Project. This looks like an important and wide-ranging survey, with the aim of gathering comprehensive data on the contents and locations of public collections of Islamic art and material culture around the UK and Ireland, however large or small. Through the survey, the SSN will also be able to identify the types of support that may be needed among the collections, especially those with limited resources, staff or specialist curatorship. This will result in the network being able to develop targeted workshops and seminars which will support the relevant museum professionals. Results of the survey will be published on the SSN’s new website, to be launched later this year.
The deadline for survey completion is end of March 2014. Support with filling in the questionnaire and assistance with identifying any Islamic material in the collections will be readily available. Contact Jenny Wright on islamicmappingproject@gmail.com to be sent a direct link to the survey questionnaire or for further information.
Main image shows a lamp from Turkey ca. 1557, part of Victoria and Albert's Islamic Middle East collection which holds over 19,000 items from the Middle East and North Africa, ranging from the early Islamic period (7th century) to the early 20th century (photo courtesy of the V&A website).
