Samina Ali Discusses the "Muslima" Exhibition and MIIM Designs' "Sacred Space"

MIIM Designs was featured in altmuslim: Global Perspectives on Muslim life, politics and culture ​as the studio commemorated International Women's Day, participating in the International Museum of Women exhibition Muslima: Muslim Women's Arts and Voices. 

Curated by Samina Ali, co-founder of the American Muslim feminist organization Daughters of Hajar and author of the critically acclaimed novel Madras on Rainy Days, "Muslima" features the art, writing and voices of Muslim women from across the globe. What is particularly unique about the exhibition is that rather than speaking about Muslim women, "Muslima" features the art, narratives, and reform efforts of Muslim women themselves in a groundbreaking illustration of the rich diversity of Muslim women's experiences, ambitions, and creativity around the world. 

Ali reiterates this in expressing the aims of the exhibition: "Listen to Muslim women. Listen to their passions. Listen to the realities of what being a woman today means. Being Muslim is just one aspect of a woman's personality. They are leaders, they are CEOs, and they are broadcast journalists. They are mothers, wives, and sisters."

Check out "Muslima" and its "Speak Up! Listen Up!" action campaign to "support the efforts of Muslim women and others worldwide who are leading the movement for a more just, equitable, and inclusive world." 

And be sure to check out MIIM's contribution to the "Muslima" exhibit here! We hope you will continue to join and support us in our own efforts for gender equality in the mosque, in schools, and across the globe. 

MIIM Designs Featured in Aslan Media for "Muslima" Exhibition

MIIM Designs was honored to be featured in Aslan Media  for its participation in the International Museum of Women exhibition Muslima: Muslim Women's Arts and Voices.

Check out MIIM Designs' contribution, "[SACRED SPACE], a series of infographics by Palto Alto-based art and architecture studio MIIM Designs that take on the question, “Is there equal space between men and women in American Muslim mosques?” The infographics show how architecture posits a deeper meaning on the purpose and context of gender inequality through social and sacred spaces - typically negotiated in favor of men - and how this relationship affects female participation and sense of place within American Muslim communities. “Muslim-American communities, the majority of whom are American-born Muslims or American converts, have transplanted the architectural lexicons of mosques located in the Middle East wholesale into U.S. urban landscapes,” MIIM notes in the artist’s statement for [SACRED SPACE], “This trans-continental attempt at architectural mobility from the Middle East to the U.S., however, does not come without issues.”

​According to Aslan, "empowerment does provide opportunity for the unified whole that comes when otherwise-muted voices are amplified, not only breaking down myths and stereotypes but also building intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. This is the goal of Muslima: Muslim Women’s Art and Voices, a provocative and groundbreaking online global exhibition from the San Francisco-based International Museum of Women (IMOW). Curated by Samina Ali, an Indian-born Muslim known for her 2004 novel Madras on Rainy Days, the show is an international showcase of the themes and issues faced by female artists who either self-identify with Islam or are labeled Muslim because of familial, cultural or religious background. Exploring and challenging the broad spectrum of perceived status, agenda, and realities lived by Muslim women today, the exhibition gives voice to their passions, their accomplishments and their expressiveness- redefining both individual and collective identities as artists and activists.​​..

Muslima: Muslim Women’s Art and Voices, which officially launched online on March 7, just in time to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th, runs through the end of the year. It marks a global community partnership for IMOW, who teamed up with Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization (UAE), The Women’s Museum (Denmark), The Ayala Museum (Philippines) and over 40 Muslima Ambassadors- creative Muslim women in their 20s and 30s who participated in workshops and online dialogues, serving as advisors, contributors and co-curators."