Arts & Culture
Ismaili artists featured at the new Spring Ismaili Jamatkhana in Greater Houston
9 March 2021
Art historians and enthusiasts often recognize the 10th through 13th centuries as a period that marked an increase in the usage of symmetrical, geometric patterns in the Muslim world. Most likely aided by Muslim mathematicians, artists and artisans produced a large variety of designs. Many of these geometric models developed interpretations of ornament that embody metaphysical intent.
History, the Arts, and Pandemics
20 January 2021
“Ars longa, vitas brevis”(Art is long, life is short). Latin aphorism attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates.
Illumination and Geometry in Islamic and African American Art An Interdisciplinary Curriculum
18 November 2020
This article is based on a presentation given at the Canada International Conference on Education [CICE-2019] at The University of Toronto. Mississauga, Canada.
Fitoor the Band rejuvenates age-old musical traditions for audiences of all ages
20 June 2020
While the United States was settling into the initial stages of a global pandemic and lockdown, three Ismaili musicians gathered on March 27 to deliver a virtual concert to a national and global audience. Fitoor the Band aims to preserve traditional South Asian music using contemporary influences and keep age-old musical traditions alive for younger and older generations.
Farrokh Derakhshani: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture and its global impact
17 May 2020
“Architecture is the only art form which has a direct, daily impact on the quality of human life.” Mawlana Hazar Imam, Aga Khan Award for Architecture ceremony, Al-Ain, UAE, November 6, 2016
Peace and Love with Music and Art
29 April 2020
A self-taught musician and artist from Hunza overcomes cultural barriers to help local artists perform in Lisbon.
Women Artists Portraying Women: Part 2
14 November 2019
During the Diamond Jubilee Art Festivals, we witnessed with delight, galleries filled with paintings, sculptures, installation art, and photographs. Here, we depict women, as seen by some of them, and displayed at the various exhibitions.
Building a career in architecture
4 October 2019
While in MIT’s Architecture program, Khalil Pirani would often sit in classes and hear professors ask: “What is Islamic architecture? Could this dome or that motif be in the spirit of Islam?” Khalil recalls, “I also had the same question.”
Women Artists Portraying Women Part 1
4 October 2019
Women have been artists since prehistoric times but have often been discouraged, marginalized and omitted from the history of art. This changed in the 20th century and today, women are amongst the most prolific artists, musicians, and writers including in the Muslim world. Some prominent contemporary examples are artists such as Shahzia Sikander, Nilima Sheikh, and Salima Arastu.
Artists Continue their Craft
22 September 2019
Most of us know the feeling of being moved by a work of art, whether it’s song, film, painting or poem. When we are touched, we become aware of a feeling that may not be familiar to us but which transports us to a different emotional space.
Technology adds a new dimension to the ancient art of Calligraphy
8 September 2019
The art of calligraphy is one that embraces tradition, but it has also evolved over the ages. With the advent of computer graphics and other technologies, new perspectives on this timeless art form have afforded artists with opportunities to experiment.
Discovering Islam in New York City: a tour of its Muslim History
9 June 2019
Muslims have been a part of New York City, even before New York was a city. Records show that Muslims arrived in the area as part of the Dutch settlement, New Amsterdam, since the 1600s. Today, there are now over 300 registered mosques in the City. This is how the Muslim Tour of Harlem, a historic neighborhood in New York, begins. Katie Merriman, a doctoral student of religious studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill escorted a group of New York City Ismailis on a tour of 400 years of Muslim history in New York. On a three-hour walking tour, participants expanded their knowledge of how Muslims have contributed to their city and continue to do so.
