In 1984 the DAI organised an exhibition for an international conference held in Kuwait. In 1987, at the invitation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the DAI organised a special exhibition for the Fifth Islamic Summit at Bayan Palace. Believing that it was important that the exhibition reflect the nature of the summit, the decision was made to highlight the diversity of objects in the collection, while honouring the unity and transcendence of Islamic art. The resulting exhibition, Variety in Unity, featured more than 200 objects of calligraphy, ceramics, glass, hardstone, jewellery, leather, manuscripts, metal, coins and stone. Of course, the shared beauty of the objects – drawn from varied counties, eras and media – reflected the true nature of the Islamic Summit.

But the year in exhibitions didn’t stop with Variety in Unity. The DAI also organised an exhibition for Bahrain’s National Day. Kuwait History and Culture, exhibited in the Bab al-Bahrain Exhibition Hall from 14 December – 6 January 1988, gave the organisation the opportunity to share pieces of its past with the people of Bahrain. In part, the exhibition was created as a “thank you” for the Treasures of Beit al Qur’an exhibition that visited DAI from Bahrain that summer.

In addition, objects from the collection were also travelling the United States as part of The Age of Sultan Suleyman exhibition. The exhibition started in the National Gallery (Washington, DC), moved to the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, New York).

The extensive exhibition-related activities did not slow the organisation down. The DAI continued to offer lectures by visiting scholars, participate in the Bahnasa excavations, and publish the newsletter. In addition, the DAI also published a bilingual catalogue for “Variety in Unity”, written by Dr Ghada Qaddumi.

1987 demonstrated that the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah had built a foundation that allowed it to do more . . . to be more.