Houston celebrates Islamic heritage during annual Islamic arts festival

The University of Houston hosted, the 11th Annual Islamic Arts Festival in November 2024—the largest and oldest of its kind in the United States—bringing together artists and visitors from across the country to celebrate Islamic art, culture and heritage.

The festival was initiated in 2014 when four people from Houston with a shared interest in Islamic art organized a small exhibition at a mosque in Spring, Texas. The group, which included an architect, a physician and a student, joined with others in the community to put on the event.

This initial event laid the groundwork for the Islamic Arts Society and launched Houston’s first Islamic Arts Festival. Today, the festival has grown into a prominent national event, attracting thousands of visitors and featuring art on canvas, paper, wood, glass and ceramic tiles.

In last year’s festival, around 5,000 pieces of art by over 50 artists were put on display, with many for purchase. Additional programs included a spoken word segment, an academic seminar in collaboration with the University of Houston and interactive art sessions on calligraphy, henna and ebru painting.