Sisters man curates exhibit of Islamic coins Tuesday, March 9, 2021 12:13 PM Gary Leiserâs collection of medieval Islamic coins now graces Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University in Salem.
photo provided The Gold of the Caliphs exhibit is on display at Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University in Salem through 2021.
photo provided • • Over a long career as a federal civil servant living and working in the Middle East, Gary Leiser developed an interest in medieval Islamic coins.
“I began collecting unsystematically,” he told The Nugget. “I had a tendency to haunt junk shops. To call them antique shops would be a little bit charitable. You never know what you’re going to stumble across in a junk shop.”
February 18 – August 14, 2021
Study Gallery
Due to COVID-19 exhibition dates may change
Gold of the Caliphs: Medieval Islamic Coins from the Gary Leiser Collection of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art offers a fascinating glimpse into Islamic art, history, politics, economics, and religious beliefs as reflected in coins minted in locations from Spain to Central Asia. Organized by guest curator Gary Leiser, the exhibition features more than 75 coins of the more than 500 coins that Leiser donated to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in 2017. Leiser holds a PhD degree from the University of Pennsylvania in medieval Islamic history and is a retired Federal civil servant.