Museums and libraries are among the most trusted institutions in American life, and they are where many people first encounter religious traditions not their own. Yet religion is often the subject staff feel least equipped to interpret, so it goes untouched.
ICJS works with curators, librarians, and public programmers who want to interpret religion accurately and confidently. Drawing on interreligious scholarship and long standing relationships with religious communities, ICJS works alongside these institutions to dismantle inherited bias, tell more accurate stories, and create space for dialogue across difference.
If your institution is thinking about how religion shows up in your collections, exhibitions, programs, or spaces, we would like to hear from you.
The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) has received a $2.5M grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The grant will support development of a 5,000-square-foot exhibition and a larger programming and research initiative that will interpret the history of religious diversity and contested stories of religious tolerance in our state.
If you want to learn more about ICJS’ work with museums and libraries, Contact Fatimah Fanusie at fanusie@icjs.org.