PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Monday, April 10, at 12.30pm, at Marischal Museum, Marischal College, Broad Street
A group of young people will be exploring the history of Islamic culture and heritage in the North-east of Scotland as part of an innovative new project to be launched on Monday (April 10).
Entitled Young Muslim Aberdeen, the project was set up by Aberdeen City Council’s Arts Development team, with support from the University of Aberdeen’s Marischal Museum and a £13,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
A group of around 16 teenagers who are pupils at Aberdeen’s Granite Weekend School will take part in the project over the next few months.
The school – which meets in Linksfield Community Centre every Saturday - was set up last year by a group of local Muslim residents. It aims to educate children in Islamic religion, culture and Arabic language, while promoting the social inclusion of Muslim children within the wider community.
The Young Muslim Aberdeen project will give the youngsters the chance to work with artists to look at the Islamic collection, which is currently held by the Marischal Museum. The group wants to research the collection in more detail and explore how it relates to the profile of Muslims in the North-east.
The project will focus on Islamic artefacts, which have rarely been seen in public before.
With the help of senior museum curator Neil Curtis and Arts Development staff, the young people will learn how to research and plan their project, developing both curatorial and investigatory skills.
They will work with ceramics and textiles and will also learn practical skills such as creative writing, drama and digital filming as they document the history of Islamic culture in the Aberdeen area.
As they express their own views about their findings, they will also work with artists to create new works of art which will form a high profile exhibition that aims to raise awareness and understanding of Islamic culture.
Chris Ganley of the Council’s Arts Development team said: “This is an exciting project which aims to put the Islamic artefacts into context and introduce them to a wider audience, alongside the research the young people will carry out into the history of the various pieces.
“They will have the chance to interpret and express their individual thoughts in creative and innovative ways.
“We hope the Young Muslim Aberdeen project will encourage self esteem, confidence, skills and achievements as well as creating a permanent record of Islamic history in the North-east.
“We are delighted to be working with the University of Aberdeen and the Heritage Lottery Fund on this exciting project and are grateful for their support.”
Colin McLean, the Heritage Lottery Fund's Manager for Scotland, said: “It's great to see young people leading the way in exploring and sharing their cultural heritage. This project will open up the Islamic collections at Marischal Museum for everyone to enjoy, and like all our projects with young people, heritage will be presented in a creative and dynamic way.
“The group will develop new skills, increase their sense of identity and become more active citizens, while the exhibition will be a lasting legacy for the people of Aberdeen."
Neil Curtis, Senior Curator in Marischal Museum, said: “I am very pleased that the museum’s collections are to be studied by the members of Young Muslim Aberdeen and I particularly look forward to the exhibition that they will create in the museum. It will build on other projects which have brought new perspectives on the collections into our exhibitions.”
The group will meet twice a week – one day after school and once at the weekend.
They are also keen to hear from anyone who has any information about Islamic art, such as paintings, scripture, sculpture or books. Please contact WhiteSpace on (01224) 523640 if you can help.