September 18th marks the opening day for the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, North America’s largest museum dedicated to showcasing the incredibly artistic, intellectual, and scientific contributions that the Muslim community has made to our society.
The Aga Khan Museum will be the newest and perhaps most interesting addition to Toronto’s booming arts and culture scene. Along with traditional exhibits and art installations most notably found in galleries and museums, the Aga Khan Museum will host a variety of performances ranging from musical concerts and dances to films and theatre productions and more in their state-of-the-art, 350-seat stadium.
Speaking of state-of-the-art, the building itself is a magnificent piece of beauty designed by renowned architect Fumihiko Maki using materials from thyssenkrupp. The 6.8 hectare (17-acre) site, located on Wynford Drive, features the museum, an Ismaili Centre (designed by architect Charles Correa), and a surrounding park (designed by landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic) which will give Toronto some new-found greenery!
Toronto, being a city packed with diversity and pluralism, is the perfect hub for the museum to showcase the arts and culture from around world. Word on the street is that this museum will display more than ten centuries of human history in the form of portraits, textiles, ceramics, medical text books, instruments, and a variety of historical artifacts.
Established by the Aga Khan Development Network – an international, non-denominational organization that focuses on addressing global development issues like healthcare, education, cultural revitalization and sustainability – the Aga Khan Museum will be open to the public on September 18th and encourages people from all denominations to come in and explore, learn, share, and ultimately whet their cultural appetites!
Will you be checking out the Aga Khan Museum this fall? Tweet us @ViewTheVibe.
