Frick Pittsburgh reschedules Islamic art exhibition amid controversy

A Pittsburgh art museum announced Friday it is rescheduling an exhibit featuring historical Islamic art that it initially postponed indefinitely over perception concerns in light of the Israel/Hamas war.

On Sunday, TribLive reported The Frick Pittsburgh museum quietly postponed the “Treasured Ornament” exhibit that was scheduled to open Nov. 4. Museum director Elizabeth Barker, at the time, said the decision was because of concerns it might be hurtful to the Jewish community and others. She said it would have seemed “insensitively superficial,” given the conflict and high tensions that have followed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and subsequent response by the Israeli military.

The decision to indefinitely postpone the exhibit was criticized by both local Muslim and Jewish groups.

On Friday, the museum said “Treasured Ornament“ was now rescheduled and will premiere at The Frick in August 2024.

“The Frick is devastated to have hurt neighbors we deeply respect with our unclear communication about the postponement of this exhibition featuring 10 centuries of Islamic art,” reads a statement on The Frick’s website. “We will work earnestly to repair our relationships with the Muslim community.”

The Pittsburgh chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Pittsburgh) earlier this week said it hoped the museum would reconsider its decision.

“Treasured Ornament” features ancient to more modern glassware, ceramics, metalwork, painting, weaponry, and more from countries across the Middle East, and is meant to invoke the “rich history of the Islamic world and the shared human experiences that bind us,” according to a Frick news release.

A traveling exhibition organized by the Huntington Museum of Art in West Virginia, it has been shown at other museums across the country.

The Frick said the exhibit seemed suitable when the museum initially booked it, but then became concerned after the war broke out in early October. The museum said “Treasured Ornament” lacked enough historical context.

“When war broke out in the Middle East, we were as heartbroken as everyone, and we realized that we were about to open an exhibition that a forgiving person would call insensitive, but for many people, especially in our community, would be traumatic,” Barker told TribLive on Sunday.

The museum said it hadn’t yet engaged with the community, adding that proceeding without “the participation of the Muslim community risked trivializing and objectifying Islamic culture as merely decorative.”

The Frick said with more time now before “Treasured Ornament” premieres, the museum hopes to engage with a broad range of community partners.

On Friday, CAIR-Pittsburgh director Christine Mohamed said she is happy the museum is bringing back the exhibit.

“We look forward to the rescheduled exhibit. And we look forward to constructive dialogue,” she said. “We think it’s great The Frick want to get engaged with the Muslim community.”

Adam Hertzman, a spokesperson for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said the federation disapproved of postponing the show. He said that equating Islamic art and Muslims with Hamas is wrong.

Hertzman said the federation and others in the Jewish community are glad that “Treasured Ornament“ will be shown at The Frick.

“I am sure many people in the Jewish community will look forward to seeing this exhibit when it opens,” he said.