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Aga Khan Development Network brochure

The Aga Khan Development Network is a group of private, international, non-denominational agencies working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in specific regions of the developing world. The Network’s organisations have individual mandates that range from the fi elds of health and education to architecture, rural development and the promotion of private-sector enterprise. Together they collaborate in working towards a common goal – to build institutions and programmes that can respond to the challenges of social, economic and cultural change on an ongoing basis. This brochure introduces the Network’s principal agencies and provides an overview of their activities and goals. This publication is also available in French, Arabic and Portuguese.

Grant helps Aga Khan Museum improve online and in-person education capabilities

The Aga Khan Museum has made "transformative" upgrades to both its online and in-person education programmes, thanks to a Resilient Communities grant of more than CAD$86,000 (USD$68,000) from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The grant has allowed the museum to expand its curriculum-linked school visits programme into the virtual sphere, making it accessible to classroom and home learners. “With the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we boosted the reach and impact of our intercultural education programmes at a time when students and teachers are actively searching for innovative, engaging, and impactful experiences that meet their needs and are easily accessible on demand,” said Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis, the Museum’s director and CEO.

The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) and the Aga Khan Museum of Toronto Present Ekow Nimako’s Kumbi Saleh

The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) presents Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE, a monumental sculpture constructed from over 100,000 black LEGO from 5 February. In early 2021, the Aga Khan Museum’s acquisition of Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE by Ghanaian-Canadian artist Ekow Nimako made headlines around the world. HMAAC is the first opportunity for audiences to see the sculpture outside of Canada. According to Aga Khan Museum Curator Michael Chagnon, Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE advances the Museum’s mission to “bridge culture through the arts and foreground cultural narratives that often remain unheard.”  For HMAAC, “this sculpture allows the museum to continue its participation in global conversations that are occurring throughout the African Diaspora,” said HMAAC CEO John Guess, Jr.

Sculpting Legos as an artistic expression to the world

For most people, Lego is mostly a toy for children, but it means a lot more to 42-year-old Ghanaian Canadian artist Ekow Nimako. His pieces span a broad spectrum, ranging from a flower girl holding a giant bee to the Ghanaian kingdom in the year 3020, and each art sculpture is built using only black Legos. In his “Building Black: Civilizations” series, Nimako reimagines medieval sub-Saharan African narratives. His “Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE” piece, which is made up of around 100,000 Lego bricks and can be found in the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, is named after the capital city of a medieval Ghanaian kingdom. The artist explores medieval West Africa and reimagines what it would look like 1,000 years in the future.

New head of Toronto's Aga Khan Museum says it's important to 'set objects free'

Ulrike Al-Khamis is the new director and chief executive of the Aga Khan Museum, which was founded in Toronto in 2014 by His Highness the Aga Khan. The museum’s mandate is to showcase the contribution of Muslim civilisations as well as their interconnectedness with the world. It is the only museum in North America dedicated exclusively to Islamic culture. A lot of Al-Khamis’ work focuses on what she calls “setting the objects free”, where they leave their curatorial context and become catalysts for discussions. “Islamic art is as such an art historical discipline, and relatively niche and specialised,” she says. The museum is particularly strong in works on paper, ceramics, metalwork, glass and textiles.

Dr Ulrike Al-Khamis Is New Director And CEO Of Aga Khan Museum

The Aga Khan Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Ulrike AlKhamis to the position of Director and Chief Executive Officer. Dr Al-Khamis has been a key member of the Aga Khan Museum’s executive and leadership team over the past four years, acting as Director of Collections and Public Programmes since 2017. Under Dr. Al-Khamis’s leadership, the Museum will be reaffirming its focus on intercultural education and dialogue, while growing its global impact and audience through innovative digital programming initiatives. “I think that under her leadership the museum will play a major educational role and will open new and exciting doors,” said Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan Museum Board and speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors. The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, was established by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage while often reflecting, through both its permanent and temporary exhibitions, how cultures connect with one another.

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