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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, August 10, 2004: Launched in 1996 in response to a child’s question, The Five Faiths Project teaches about religions as a way of fostering an understanding of religious diversity in the community. The project continues at the Ackland Art Museum this weekend with the Five Faiths Colloquy as well as an upcoming exhibition of contemporary art and a performance series. The three-day colloquy, Saturday through Monday, brings scholars, museum professionals and faith leaders to the museum for discussion and debate on strategies for the exhibition and interpretation of sacred art in the Ackland’s permanent collection as well as multicultural collections in museums nationwide.



The Five Faiths Project centers on some of the world’s major religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, and uses sacred objects in the museum’s collection. This year’s colloquy kicks off Saturday with a free, public panel discussion by colloquy participants at 4 p.m. followed by questions from the audience. The event takes place in the Hanes Art Center Auditorium on the UNC campus. The discussion will focus on the limits and potentials of works of art as tools for teaching and learning about world religions. Because the colloquies draw participants and an audience from all over the country who want to learn about the museum’s Five Faiths Project, the Ackland has become a national model, said Amanda Hughes, director of special projects at the museum. “We’re finding that other museums are interested in learning how to reach out to local faith communities,” Hughes said. Museums with multicultural collections also want to see how the Ackland has encouraged such other underserved communities as local immigrants to come to the museum, Hughes added. The project has had a profound influence on museum practices. “We use a multicultural perspective in label writing,” Hughes noted. “It’s affected the whole way the museum functions.”



HPI adds: If any of our readers attend this event, we’d be interested in a report.

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