Skip to main content
Home Home Columbia Museum of Art Columbia Museum of Art logo
  • Join
  • Give
Home Home
  • Join
  • Give

Main navigation

  • Visit
    • About the CMA
      • Art and Inclusion
      • Governance and Leadership
      • Work at the CMA
      • Policies
        • Code of Conduct
        • Social Media Code of Conduct
    • Accessibility
    • Boyd Plaza
    • The Cross Hatch
    • Directions and Parking
    • Tours
    • Visit Columbia
    • Binder Storytelling
  • Events
    • Art Blossoms
    • Arts & Draughts
    • Baker & Baker Series
    • CMA Chamber Music on Main
    • Jazz at the CMA
    • Literary Programs
    • More Than Rhythm: A Black Music Series
    • Columbia Design League
    • Contemporaries
    • Friends of African American Art & Culture
  • View
    • The Collection
    • Bullets and Bandaids
    • Constantine Manos
    • Art of the Catawba Nation since 1973
    • Tina Williams Brewer: Stories of Grace
    • Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous
    • Darrel Ellis: Regeneration
    • Interior Lives
    • Past Exhibitions
    • All Exhibitions
  • Learn
    • Adults
    • Educators
      • Virtual Field Trips
      • Field Trips
      • Lesson Plans and Resources
      • Continuing Education
    • Summer Camps
    • Youth and Families
  • Belong
    • Affinity Groups
      • Columbia Design League
        • CDL Board Members
        • Play With Your City 2019
      • Contemporaries
        • Contemporaries Board Members
      • Friends of African American Art & Culture
        • FAAAC Board Members
    • Give
    • Join or Renew
      • Member FAQs
      • Corporate Memberships
      • Premier Memberships
    • Partner With Us
    • Sponsor
    • Volunteer
  • Rent
    • Host an Event
    • Plan a Wedding

Secondary Navigation

  • About the CMA
  • Hours & Admission
  • News
    • Press Requests
  • Contact
  • Staff Directory
  • CMA Employees Login
See All News

April 28, 2023

CMA Staff Picks: Will Rowan

Hello, I’m Will, and I’m the Facility Operations & Systems Manager at our beloved Columbia Museum of Art. I lead security and facilities teams, working hard to provide overwatch and safety for staff and visitors, safeguard the artwork, and ensure an enjoyable experience for guests while they visit the museum and our wide collection of art and artifacts. 

As a student of the Middle East and an American military veteran who spent multiple years in places from Jordan to Afghanistan, I am absolutely enthralled with the silk prayer carpet from Tabriz, Iran, in Gallery 5 of Reverent Ornament: Art from the Islamic World. Persian/Farsi was the first language that the U.S. Army taught me, and I received a lot of information on carpet making and its history, impact on a family’s income, marketability to those not from the Middle East, and use for religious purposes. A good silk carpet can bring in a hefty sum from a collector, but its compactness, durability, colorful sheen, and elegance make for an appropriate prayer carpet while traveling. Tabriz is well-known in the region for silk carpets, and this particular piece is a shining example of their capabilities. Its definitive qualities make it stand out from ones I’ve seen made in places such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Syria.

Prayer Carpet, late 19th century
Tabriz, Iran
Silk

On view through May 14 in Reverent Ornament: Art from the Islamic World

#layer-gallery-2885
Home
  • CMA Facebook
  • CMA YouTube
  • CMA Instagram
  • National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services
  • American Alliance of Museums Accredited Museum
  • South Carolina Just Right

Hours

Sunday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday
Closed.
Tuesday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday
10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Contact

Visit
1515 Main Street,
Columbia, SC 29201
Call
(803) 799-2810
Email
info@columbiamuseum.org
Write
P.O. Box 2068,
Columbia, SC 29202

Newsletter

Get updates about everything happening at the museum

Footer Newsletter Signup - First Name
Footer Newsletter Signup

© Copyright 2023 The Columbia Museum of Art

Website by Cyberwoven

Footer

  • Test 1