Sharjah Museum to participate in online project

Sharjah: Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization will participate in an online art community project with three other museums to raise public awareness of the richness and diversity of Muslim women’s lives.

The project — Muslim Women’s Art and Voices — is one of the 10 funded by Museums Connect grant of the American Association of Museums. The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization is the only Museum in the Middle East and Arab region to have been awarded the Museums Connect grant.

Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, along with the International Museum of Women in San Francisco, the US, the Women’s Museum in Aarhus, Denmark, and the Ayala Museum in the Philippines will design a number of workshops and online artworks that will be curated and exhibited virtually, to show the richness and diversity of Muslim women’s lives in these four distinct cultures and globally.

The Museums Connect Initiative is a joint initiative between the American Association of Museums and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The initiative, which is now in its fifth year, pairs museums from across the globe with partners in the United States to engender web-based opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and creative collaboration, especially among the youth. It also fosters intercultural dialogue through community projects, partnerships with local or tribal governments and schools, and local events.

Manal Ataya, the Director General of Sharjah Museums Department, said: “This project promises to be an exciting and wonderful opportunity for all involved, and we sincerely hope that it will contribute to a better understanding and appreciation of the rich and diverse lives Muslim women lead around the world and the significant contributions they make in all walks of life.”

For more information on all the Museums Connect projects: www.aam-us.org/museumsconnect.