As part of the UM Collections Collaborations series, designed to showcase the renowned and diverse collections at the University of Michigan, the Kelsey Museum and the U-M Museum of Art present Fragments from the Past: Islamic Art from the Collection of the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology from November 30, 2013 to April 2014 at the Museum of Art. 

The Kelsey's collection of Islamic art ranges from the eighth to the nineteenth century and reflects the brilliant diversity of the cultural traditions of Islam. The exhibition at UMMA will feature vessels, architectural fragments, furniture, and other artifacts from Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran that reveal the aesthetic attention paid by artisans to the objects of everyday life. These objects demonstrate the interplay of function and form in artisanal traditions, and the designs and patterns revealed on the exquisitely detailed fragments presented are a testament to the many stories that run through the pasts of these peoples and cultures.

The UM Collections Collaborations series is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.