Entitled the ‘Art Trail’, the initiative will cater to different age groups and interests and serve as a platform to inspire the community, increase artistic appreciation and awareness, and promote local culture and artists.
The ‘Art Trail’ tours will take place once a month on Saturdays, between February 25 and June 17, at venues across the campus, including Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Sidra Medical and Research Center, QF Headquarters, Qatar National Convention Centre, and Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar.
Machaille al-Naimi, president of Community Development, QF, said: “We invite all interested members of the community to sign up to our ‘Art Trail’ tours and enjoy our large collection. The installations throughout Education City give visitors an insight into regional identity by showing the unique connections between the works of art and their environments.”
QF owns approximately 150 art pieces, many of which have been purchased through the global ‘Percent-for-Art’ scheme. The scheme ensures that one percent of the budget of large-scale development projects is allocated to fund and install public art.
Qatari artists with work located in Education City include Ali Hassan; Yousef Ahmad, a pioneer of Qatar’s modern art movement; Salman al-Malik, who is widely acknowledged for his work in the field of ‘plastic arts’; and Moudi al-Hajri, who is an award-winning Qatari artist.
International artists whose works are featured in Education City, include Tracey Emin; Spanish artist Jaume Plensa; and Iranian-American artist Hadieh Shafie, who has artworks located on the first floor of Sidra’s Outpatient Clinic.
Education City is home to many art and cultural centres, such as Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and Qatar National Library’s Heritage Collection, as well as the art galleries at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and Hamad bin Khalifa University's Student Centre.
Those wishing to join the ‘Art Trail’ should contact [email protected] for a registration form. Once registered, interested participants will receive a confirmation email.
