Virtual Symposium | Jewish Material Cultures in the Muslim World
May 21 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
AN IN PLAIN SIGHT: JEWISH ARTS AND LIVES IN THE MUSLIM WORLD PROGRAM
Join the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life for Jewish Material Cultures in the Muslim World, an international symposium in conjunction with the exhibition In Plain Sight: Jewish Arts and Lives in the Muslim World.
Chaired by the exhibition co-curators, Professor Francesco Spagnolo (Magnes) and Dr. Qamar Adamjee (Metropolitan Museum of Art), in collaboration with UC Berkeley Professor Emily Gottreich
The three sessions of the virtual symposium will focus on Jewish museums and collections in, and on the specificity of Jewish material cultures originating from the Muslim world, and present the directions of Jewish studies beyond borders.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
via Zoom
RegisterWith registration, a Zoom link will be sent to the email address you provide.
If you have any questions about accessibility or require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us at magnes@berkeley.edu or call us at (510) 643-2526 with as much advance notice as possible.
Sessions
Jewish Museums and Collections in the Muslim World
Chair, Emily Gottreich
Jewish Studies Beyond Borders
Chair, Francesco Spagnolo
Curating Jewish Material Culture from the Muslim World
A conversation with Qamar Adamjee (Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Francesco Spagnolo (Magnes, UC Berkeley) moderated by Prof. Emily Gottreich (UC Berkeley)
About the exhibition
Co-curated by Magnes Curator Dr. Francesco Spagnolo and scholar of Islamic art Dr. Qamar Adamjee, In Plain Sight: Jewish Arts and Lives in the Muslim World shares a selection of artworks and objects from the Magnes’s permanent collection that challenge common views about historical dualities and creative engagement among Muslim and Jewish artists and patrons. The exhibition highlights rootedness in diaspora, shared graphic forms and visual landscapes, attitudes towards sacred texts and human bodies, and networks of trade and knowledge exchange, all centering around the fundamental role of light in Jewish and Muslim prayer space.
