Aga Khan museum home chosen because of T.O.'s tolerance

A 14th century bronze and silver astronomical device inscribed with Latin, Hebrew and Arabic on display at the Aga Khan Museum is intended to symbolize the pluralism promoted by the Toronto museum.

“The spirit of the place is to emphasize the coming together of countries and the harmonious, peaceful advancement of society as a whole,” said Ulrike Al-Khamis, director of collections and public programs at the museum.

The astrolabe – used to astronomically determine the position of the sun, moon or stars – is one of more than 1,000 artifacts donated to the museum, by the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.

Toronto was chosen by the Aga Khan as the location for the museum, over cities such as London, England, because of its reputation as a multi-cultural city known for embracing respect and tolerance.

The 17-acre museum was designed by a Japanese architect, a Lebanese landscaper and features Brazilian limestone and Italian marble.

Many historical displays feature collaborations between cultures, such as Hindu and Muslim artists and show multi-religious societies.

“They would have had tolerance of people of other faiths,” said Bita Pourvash, a curatorial assistant.

“Artists would move from house to house or from different courts and work together. Even if a place was invaded somewhere and they (conquerors) took the city, artists would be kept and not killed because they were valuable people.”

Along with celebrating Muslim art and literature spanning Spain to China from the 9th to 20th centuries, there are educational programs and performing arts.

One permanent part of the collection is the Book of Kings from the year 1010.
“It is the rarest of manuscripts and the longest epic poem ever written. It’s a poem with 50,000 verses of the mythical legends and Kings of Iran from the first person on earth until Islam came to Iran,” said Pourvash.

The paintings in manuscripts have messages prompting the reader back to the text.
“You are reading pictures. Many of the stories are hidden and the stories beyond are more amazing,” Al-Khamis said.

Islamic art and carpentry became popular in Europe in the mid 19th century.

“Europe became fascinated with it. Europe was suffering a backlash of industrialization and there was a loss of beauty. Mass produced stuff had a lack of soul,” Pourvash said in the Bruschettini carpet collection displaying rugs that have been traded for centuries across political divides.

In the museum’s basement vaults, artifacts are stored, conserved and it’s where new arrivals or exhibits are brought.

Logistically, a lot of preparation time is spent bringing in exhibits that need to be transported in climate safe, air-ride suspension travel modes.

An upcoming exhibit being borrowed from Russia includes escorts from the museum of origin and in some cases armed guards.

“Every piece is different and has its own needs,” said Megan White, the museum’s registrar.

Children who visit the museum are taken to educational art rooms where they can make art inspired by what they saw on the tour.

“We aren’t competing with dinosaurs or star maps. We are filling a void that doesn’t exist. We don’t have competition,” said Sarah Beam-Borg, the senior exhibit manager.
“We get (requests) for more school groups than we can fit in.”

There are frequently performances at the museum that place an emphasis on fusion art with a cross cultural element.

Jews, Arabs and Christians can take the stage together with instruments that would have been used along ancient trade routes or a performance could be up-and-coming ensembles.

When there is a Spanish gallery exhibit, performances can include Flamenco dance and gypsy culture from the Mediterranean to North Africa.

“You can hear the Arabic influence in the dance,” said Amirali Alibhai, head of the performing arts.

During such times the museum’s restaurant offers menus that tie into the exhibits.
“We try to connect with the exhibits… have global conversations and people from different nations collaborating,” Alibhai said.

“The goal is – like Hockey Night in Canada – to bring the country together.”
The museum’s mandate is to bring people together across the cultures through all forms of art.

“The positive is often overlooked. We are educating the West on how Muslims have contributed to society and still do,” Al-Khamis said.

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