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, โIs there equal space between men and women in American Muslim mosques?โ 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. โMuslim-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,โ MIIM notes in the artistโs statement for [SACRED SPACE], โThis trans-continental attempt at architectural mobility from the Middle East to the U.S., however, does not come without issues.โ
โAccording 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 Womenโs 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.โโ..
Muslima: Muslim Womenโs Art and Voices, which officially
launched online on March 7, just in time to celebrate International
Womenโs 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 Womenโs 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."