Third Annual Eva Holtby Lecture on Contemporary Culture

MoMA Director Glenn Lowry explores contemporary art and Islamic culture, November 20th

The Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents the third annual Eva Holtby Lecture on Contemporary Culture on Thursday, November 20, 2008. This year the ICC welcomes Glenn Lowry, Director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, who will discuss art in a global context in his lecture, entitled Oil and Sugar: Contemporary Art and Islamic Culture. The lecture begins at 7 pm in the ROM’s Signy & Cléophée Eaton Theatre, on Level B1, and is free with reserved seating only. Seating may be reserved starting November 2, 2008 by contacting the ICC at 416.586.5535 or icc@rom.on.ca.

During this lecture, Glenn Lowry will comment on the complex problems facing contemporary Islamic artists: the balance between modernity and tradition, the present and the past, and the local and the global in their work. Drawing on the works of artists such as Lida Abdul, Shazia Sikander, Shirin Neshat, Kader Attia, and Ghada Amer, Mr. Lowry will explore the common threads that pull their diverse works together. Islamic works of art have become increasingly pertinent to our understanding of contemporary art in its representation of gender, identity, religious, and political issues. Following the lecture, William Thorsell, ROM Director and CEO, will lead a panel discussion with guests Matthew Teitelbaum (Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) Director and CEO), and Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi (University of Toronto professor).

“We are pleased to welcome Glenn Lowry to Toronto and to the ICC,” said William Thorsell. “His scholarly insight into museums and contemporary Islamic art will stimulate a fascinating discussion on important cultural issues that are forefront in today’s complex world.”

Born in New York City and raised in Williamstown, Massachusetts, former AGO Director Glenn Lowry obtained his BA from Williams College in Massachusetts, and his MA and PhD degrees in history of art from Harvard University. In support of contemporary art and artists, Mr. Lowry has written and lectured extensively on the role of museums in society. As MoMA’s sixth director, Mr. Lowry was instrumental in directing the Museum’s $900 million renovation, expansion, and endowment campaign, as well as leading an active program of exhibitions, publications, and acquisitions. Mr. Lowry is the vice president of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and serves on the advisory council of the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University.

Panelists

As Director and CEO of the AGO, Matthew Teitelbaum has demonstrated his passion for Canadian art by expanding the gallery’s permanent collection and research capabilities. Currently he is leading the Transformation AGO project, a new Frank Gehry designed building, scheduled to be unveiled in November 2008. Mr. Teitelbaum has also lectured across North America, and taught at Harvard University and the University of Western Ontario.

Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi is professor of History and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. Mr. Tavakoli-Targhi is an accomplished writer of numerous articles and two books, Refashioning Iran: Orientalism, Occidentalism and National Historiography (Palgrave, 2003) and Tajaddud-i Bumi [Vernacular Modernity] (in Persian, Nashr-i Tarikh, 2003). He has also actively encouraged Middle Eastern student associations to become engaged in the organization of community outreach programs and scholarly events.

This annual lecture, named in honour of the late Eva Holtby, was made possible through the generosity of Mrs. Holtby’s husband, former ROM Trustee Philip Holtby, and Eva Holtby’s parents, Rudolph and Paula Schury.

The Institute for Contemporary Culture

The ROM’s Institute for Contemporary Culture plays a vital role in a museum whose collections embrace many civilizations, as well as the record of nature through countless ages. As the ROM documents history, the ICC is the ROM’s window on contemporary society, exploring current cultural issues through exhibitions of art and architecture, lectures, film series, and informal gatherings. The ROM’s collections provide context and depth to contemporary issues addressed by artists, architects, and participants in ICC events from around the world. In this, and many other ways, the ICC serves as a catalyst for stimulating public conversations. For further information, please visit the ICC website at www.rom.on.ca/about/icc/.