Journeys East: Patterns of Collecting

A significant component of the Magnes Collection is its holdings representing Jewish material culture from the Jewish communities of North Africa, India, and the former Ottoman Empire. During the years 2006-2008, these unique objects were researched as part of the museum’s multi-year Collection Access Project, which enabled the museum to dramatically improve the care, interpretation, and exhibition of its permanent collection.

Journeys East features newly documented oral histories with the collectors of these rare artifacts. These histories, as well as many of the pieces on display, will be included in the Museum Loan Network’s database.

Support for the Collection Access Project has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Koret Foundation, Rosalie Eisen, Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Schweitzer, Ruthellen and Monte Toole, Magnes board members Suzy Locke Cohen, Ann Nadel and Gary Shapiro, as well as the Museum Loan Network (MLN). MLN facilitates the long-term loan of art and objects of cultural heritage among U.S. Institutions as a way to enhance the installations of museums, thus enabling them to better serve their communities. Initiated by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, the MLN is administered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Office of the Arts.

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