Islam

Arts Council England presents aReview of the Arts and Islam Seminar Series 2005- 6 andUpdate on the Faith and the Arts initiativeDelivered ByDiversity Directorate, Arts Council England : 

Arts Council England presents a Review of the Arts and Islam Seminar Series 2005- 6 and Update on the Faith and the Arts initiative Delivered By Diversity Directorate, Arts Council England

Arts and Islam Seminar - Context: 

Arts and Islam Seminar - Context Original Arts and Islam event held in May 2005 at the Globe Theatre, London. Organised as part of a National Diversity seminar series. 2006 Diversity seminar explored the concept of Britishness at the Tate Modern. Key audience for initial event were senior Arts Council staff, Diversity officers and partner agencies. Purpose of events was to raise awareness and understanding of arts practice within the Muslim community. Outcome: Better understanding of practice and barriers to practice. Focus on encouraging the development of “Muslim artists” and wider Muslim engagement in the arts.

First seminar The Globe 9 May 2005 : 

First seminar The Globe 9 May 2005 “I can’t quite see how we can develop our work around diversity without taking the time to explore the practices of faith groups as well as other cultural contexts. Otherwise we are simply talking at a superficial level . It’s about respect I suppose. I also found out practical things that I hope will help me make the West Midlands Office a more welcoming environment for practicing Muslims”. Sally Luton, Regional Executive Director, WM.

First seminar The Globe 9 May 2005 : 

First seminar The Globe 9 May 2005 “Very enlightening to see how devout Muslim artists find creative ways to express their art and how some of the challenges and restrictions in the faith – if that’s the right word - are met. I was excited to see how models of good practice have been set up by Ulfah and what can I say of Aerosol Arabic, what a fantastic artist”

Regional seminars: 

Regional seminars National West Midlands East Midlands, Nottingham Yorkshire, Dewsbury North West,Manchester South West, Exeter North East,Newcastle South, Brighton London International Planned visits to Denmark, Sweden and the USA in March & April 2007

The Impact on ACE Arts and Islam seminars: 

The Impact on ACE Arts and Islam seminars Some comments “It’s probably the best and most relevant seminar presented by the Arts Council I have ever attended. It was massively informative” – Artist Manchester seminar “Could you possibly email me 2 of the powerpoint presentations from the day? - the one called ‘Islam & the Arts’ and the one called ‘Who are Britain's Muslims?’  Arthur will be feeding back on the seminar at our next Board meeting and I wanted to send those two presentations as information with the Board papers” - Arts organisation board member Exeter seminar

Slide7: 

“Excellent. A very good example of public value, should be expanded.” “Informative, leaves me wanting to learn more” “I was most stimulated by the afternoon sessions”

Personal Reflections : 

Personal Reflections Objectives of the Islam and the Arts presentation To provide a better understanding of Islam To increase understanding that all Muslims are not the same To develop understanding of why some Muslim artists or audiences do not engage with particular artforms, practice or venues To highlight the differences between Culture and Religion Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Indian vs. Islam Arab/North African vs. Islam That religion can sometimes influence a person’s identity and behaviour more than their cultural identity

Seminar reflections: 

Seminar reflections Limited knowledge exists of the Islamic rulings on the arts and the diversity of viewpoints that exist On many occasions there was an inability to distinguish between culture and religion High level of enthusiasm for seminars, receptive audiences that wanted to engage in discussions Intensity of debate around 7/7, cartoons, Islamic viewpoint on homosexuality, gender and the perceived self censorship within the religion suggested very strong viewpoints existed amongst some delegates that created barriers to change and increased engagement with the Muslim community.

Arts and Islam seminar acknowledgements: 

Arts and Islam seminar acknowledgements Diversity Directorate at National Office Diversity Officers who organised the events in their respective regions. Mohammed Ali – Aerosol Arabic Naz Koser – Ulfah Arts Luqman Ali – Khayaal Theatre Company Muiz Anwar – Artist Everyone who attended and took part in the events and the ensuing debate.

Faith and the Arts website: 

Faith and the Arts website http://www.faithandthearts.com

Faith and the Arts Website: 

Faith and the Arts Website Objectives To create an online resource that explored the relationship between religion and art To highlight any specific rulings or teachings that would have an impact on arts participation, delivery and attendance To raise the profile of arts activity inspired by or addressing the themes of faith and spirituality Share examples of good practice, raise awareness of artists and help build bridges between faith and arts sector To increase knowledge and understanding of different faith beliefs in the arts

Target Audience: 

Target Audience Artists Curators Programmers Producers Marketing and Audience Development staff Education Officers Faith Communities General Public with an interest in the arts

User Feedback: 

User Feedback "For the different approaches to the arts taken by religions, this is a gem of a site, particularly valuable for its clear and concise outlines of each religion" Samela Harris -  News.com.au “What a fantastic site! about time! As a Christian working in the arts - there is so much confusion over faith and arts! Can I suggest that you get the Scottish Arts Council to have this featured on their web page? Well done”. Suzanne Lofthus producer cutting edge theatre Edinburgh I've just visited the new website - what a vivid and dynamic re-style! Excellent. Reverend John Breadon

Site Content: 

Site Content Introduction to world religions Research papers exploring 6 world religions highlighting different perspectives and viewpoints. Case Studies e.g. Behzti and Yusuf Islam Event Listings Artist Profiles News Coverage exploring faith and art Feature Articles and Write Ups

Site Statistics: 

Site Statistics 22,440 unique site users in 2006 12,878 unique visitors in January 2007 and 19,791 in February showing positive impact of marketing and increased site content Approximately 300 mailing list subscribers Over 1,400 keywords used to access site Many have used questions wanting clarification on religious viewpoints in relation to the arts in particular with Islam, Judaism and Buddhism Global user base including visitors from USA, UK, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Spain, Uruguay, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Philippines, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Ireland and Japan in last 3 months alone.

The Future: 

The Future International visits planned to Denmark and the United States in March and April 2007 Art and Islam seminar mini website launched http://www.artsandislam.com Completion of research for Jain and Rastafari communities Commissioning of new content for Faith and the Arts website Exploring other potential seminars as part of the Faith and the Arts programme e.g. Judaism and the Arts through partnerships with Jewish led arts agencies