By Anand Holla
Last week, popular social content site BuzzFeed carried a piece on 23 art world Instagram handles that every art lover should be following.
It came as no surprise that Qatar’s very own Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) – a paradigm of the nation’s growing fascination with art – found itself among the top names.
Their recommendations for the coolest Instagram accounts range from Dia Art Foundation – a nonprofit American organisation that supports, shares, and helps to preserve important art projects – to the most amusing art accounts such as Museum of Selfies, in which Denmark-based designer-marketer Olivia Muus reimagines art history through the lens of the selfie.
On its blog, referring to being ranked number 14 in the BuzzFeed list – which isn’t as much prestigious as it is a telling indicator of how cool and in-with-the-times these accounts are – Qatar Museums says, “With more than 1,900 posts and nearly 8,000 followers, the MIA Instagram account has become a significant cultural social media space in Qatar and the region.”
BuzzFeed keeps it simple, too: “Located in the warm and sunny Qatari capital of Doha, the Museum of Islamic Art holds a collection that spans three continents and over 1,400 years. Its Instagram shares many of these beautiful works and shows a behind-the-scenes look at its events and archives.”
Here’s the list of the 23 handles mentioned in the piece: @diaartfoundation, @museumofselfies, @metphotostudio, @nmafa, @jerrysaltz, @hyperallergic, @asianartmuseum, @museelouvre, @stormkingartcenter, @themuseumofmodernart, @tokyoartbeat, @artforum, @buzzfeedphoto, @miaqatar, @tategallery, @museumbabes, @pacegallery, @obeygiant, @brooklynmuseum, @newmuseum, @christiesinc, @thomaspcampbell, and @artnet.
While MIA is already among the top three most popular Facebook accounts in Qatar and its Twitter followers’ count now stands at an impressive 71,500, its Instagram presence (@MIAQatar), too, is now grabbing heaps of attention – it has 8,098 followers, at this point.
With the use of engaging devices such as #MuseumInsider or jumping on the bandwagon of fun days such as Museum Cats Day on July 30 or Museum Selfie Day on January 21, the MIA’s Instagram has been pretty up to speed. The MuseumInsider hashtag, for instance, relays the museum’s inner workings.
From conservation work, exhibition builds, exhibition opening preparation, filming, photography documentation, to museum maintenance drills and other non-public access activities at MIA are just a scroll away on your handset.
Thanks to the #MuseumInsider on Instagram, photo and video content of all the behind-the-scenes action can be accessed by museumgoers.
The latest on MIA’s Instagram features reposts on everything from the ongoing Qatar International Food Festival to sneak peeks into its new, upcoming exhibition; Qajar Women: Images of Women in 19th Century Iran.
The MIA Instagram page @miaqatar.
