TORONTO, March 28, 2018 — Josh Basseches, Director & CEO and Dr. Mark Engstrom, Deputy Director of Collections & Research of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Fahmida Suleman, ROM Curator of Islamic Art & Culture. Dr. Suleman will be responsible for developing and implementing strategy to build, manage and interpret the ROM’s world-class collection of Islamic art and material culture, which represents the largest collection of its kind in Canada.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Fahmida Suleman to the ROM,” said Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. “Fahmida joins the Museum at a critical time, as we engage our visitors and our communities more deeply in our collections. Her scholarly, curatorial, and programming expertise will offering fresh perspectives on the impact and influence of Islamic art and culture on our contemporary world.”
Fahmida’s role will include leading strategic acquisitions, developing public programs and exhibitions, and further engaging the Islamic community in Toronto and across Canada. Fahmida joins the ROM from the British Museum where she was Phyllis Bishop Curator for the Modern Middle East. In that position, Fahmida was responsible for the Museum’s collection of ethnographic objects and textiles from the Middle East and Central Asia. Previously, Fahmida has also been a consultant with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture during the development phase of the Aga Khan Museum.
Raised in Toronto, Fahmida holds a degree in Islamic and Religious Studies from the University of Toronto, and Masters and Doctoral degrees in Islamic Art and Archaeology from Oxford University. She completed the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, UK.
Dr. Suleman is joining the ROM at a dynamic time as the Museum charts a new course for the future, developing and delivering relevant and high-impact programs and exhibitions in art, culture and nature to audiences at home and around the world. She will begin her role at the Museum in January 2019.
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ABOUT THE ROM
Opened in 1914, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) showcases art, culture, and nature from around the globe and across the ages. One of North America's most renowned cultural institutions, Canada's largest museum is home to a world-class collection of more than 12 million objects and specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. As the country’s preeminent field research institute and an international leader in new and original findings in biodiversity, palaeontology, earth sciences, the visual arts, material culture, and archaeology, the ROM plays a vital role in advancing our global understanding of the artistic, cultural, and natural world. The Renaissance ROM expansion project (2007) merged the iconic architectural heritage of the original building with the Studio Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. A distinctive new symbol of Toronto for the 21st century, the Lee-Chin Crystal marked the beginning of a new era for the ROM as the country's premier cultural and social destination.