Alnoor Merchant, Head Librarian and Keeper of the Ismaili collections at The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, visited several centres in the United States to talk about the origins of historic artefacts in the Aga Khan Museum collection. He also discussed the important role that patrons played in the history of Islamic Art.

On Monday, 15 February, Merchant addressed 175 students and faculty members at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). He explained how the encouragement of artistic patronage has secured the continuity of Islamic Art over the span of 1 400 years.

“It was fascinating and enlightening,” said Dr Beth Wright, Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Art History at UTA. “I especially appreciated how he put Islamic art into its historical and cultural context, and his insights on the exchange of ideas and objects between Western and Islamic cultures.”

Merchant noted that his intention was “to show creativity in the Muslim world through patronage.” He combined a medley of historic artifacts from the Aga Khan Museum collection with memorable anecdotes to display how knowledge and learning have been core Islamic values since its very inception. Merchant noted that these types of patronage are “invaluable” and “an integral part of our Islamic history.”

In February 2009, Merchant delivered a similar set of talks in San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles, California and Houston, Texas. In addition to Arlington, this year's lecture series visited Dallas and Austin in Texas, as well as Chicago, Illinois.

The lectures were made possible through the support of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Ismaili Council for the United States.