The Mashrabiya Project

The Mashrabiya Project is a community-focused, shared experience that links the heritage of the mashrabiya, a wooden screening technique traditional to many Islamic lands, to responses in art and design that reflect considerations of space and seeing in contemporary life. The project is the first in the US to examine the mashrabiya as both an architectural object and a locus of metaphor. It presents an opportunity for dialog and connection across cultural and geographic borders, with programs circulating around the creation of a wood-turned mashrabiya in the museum's public space. With its artful geometry and elaborate, perforated designs, the mashrabiya became a defining element of Islamic visual culture and ornament. All visitors are invited to participate.