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The Society of Friends of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies
The Society of Friends of
the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (SOFIES), founded in 1968, has played a major
role in introducing the Ethiopian and foreign community to many aspects of
The Society of Friends of the IES has been instrumental in enabling the IES Museum to emerge as the finest gallery of Ethiopian traditional art in the world and at the same time saved for posterity innumerable works of Ethiopian art which the country would almost certainly have lost. Objectives of the Society of Friends of IESThe aim of the Society is to assist the Institute in pursuing and realizing its objectives, especially in: encouraging public support for the Institute; organizing lectures and exhibitions; organizing fund raising events to support the Museum and Library and to make important acquisitions. Membership and BenefitsIn order to be more effective in its support of the IES, the Society has been striving to increase the number of its members, and anyone willing to promote the objectives of the Institute is eligible for membership. Members have free access to the IES Library and Museum, privileged invitation to lectures and conferences, invitation to preview exhibitions and 20% discount on IES publications. Recently the Society has opened a gift shop, "SOFIE'S TREASURES," in the Museum on the first floor of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies. The shop sells a variety of locally made arts and crafts and an assortment traditional materials, small crosses, post cards, and books about Ethiopia. The major aim of this shop is to raise funds to enable the IES to continue to document, besides its permanent in-house exhibitions, the IES Museum also organizes thematic and special occasion exhibitions locally as well as abroad and also offers advice and training on request. The museum in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sports has participated in numerous international and other exhibitions. Some Exhibitions in which the IES Museum organized and/or collaborated include:
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Ethiopia's diverse and unique culture, and has also been instrumental in raising
funds for the Institute's Museum most important ethnographic acquisitions. It
strives to create awareness of the work of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies by
promoting its objectives and activities. The Society holds regular lectures and
slide shows throughout the academic year, and offers members of the Society free
access to the Institute's Museum and its Library. Fund raised by members has
enabled the Museum to many important acquisitions, particularly crosses, icons,
and other paintings and manuscripts.