​On 24 November 2012 the short course Collecting and Exhibiting Contemporary 'Middle Eastern' Art - Legacies, Challenges, Opportunities took place for the first time. This course has been newly developed to fit into the wide range of short courses and public lectures, extending the offering to Muslim art and architecture. The audience included participants from various museums and art institutions along with people engaging with the topic on a personal level.

The course profited from a mixture of theoretical and practical sessions, including a panel discussion in the afternoon which included the well-known curator Janet Rady. Dr Venetia Porter from The British Museum chaired the day and was most successful in combining the theoretical approach with practical hands-on tips for art collectors.

The wide range of the speakers’ backgrounds was completed by Mirjam Shatanawi who is a curator at the Tropenmuseum Amsterdam and offered insights in the Dutch perspective of collecting and exhibiting art.

The topics ranged from the newly awakened interest for ‘Middle Eastern’ art to criteria for selecting, acquiring and exhibiting artists to challenges artists face these days.

Speakers for the course included:
• Dr Venetia Porter (The British Museum) - A History of Collecting Contemporary 'Middle Eastern' Art in the Context of the British Museum – From the Confines of Historical Paradigms to Breaking New Ground

• Mirjam Shatanawi (Tropenmuseum Amsterdam) - Contemporary Art, Contemporary Challenges: The Tropenmuseum and the Middle East