Islamic Art bridges cultural gaps

I was really intrigued by the Chicago Tribune's religion coverage, and decided to critique a story from March 30 online called "Art offers window into Islam". It can be found online.

The article starts out with a story about how table tennis tournaments bridged the gap between American and Chinese cultures in the 1970s, and relates this to the similar power Islamic art can have. It then begins by discussing the potential with the exhibit curators. I liked how they described the art, and related it to a greater understanding of Islamic culture. However, I think it would have been interesting to hear from a Muslim, discussing what this art means to him/ her as a member of that culture. A real person is included in the story, commenting on how similar Muslims are to members of mainstream culture through her interpretations of the art, but this is reserved for the last three paragraphs. I think it would have been more powerful to include this information at the beginning or in the lead, and then tie back to it at the end. The comments from curators are important, but of course they're going to say these comments. They are experts on the art, not common everyday people.