QatArt plans 'unique creations' for National Day festivities

A unique collection of locally-made handicrafts reflecting Qatari nationalism and pride are expected to be showcased during the upcoming Qatar National Day (QND) celebration this month.

Produced by members of QatArt Handmade Community, the handcrafted items will reflect Qatari culture, tourism destinations in the country, including ‘Qatar flag themes’, as well the iconic ‘Tamim Al Majd’ portrait.QatArt board member Somaiya Ansari (@cardnamagreetings), who specialises in handmade greeting cards, told Gulf Times on Friday that QatArt members are currently preparing unique creations, which are expected to be displayed in malls and at the sea front section of Katara - The Cultural Village during QND festivities. “Plans are still being finalised,” she noted.

Decoupage by LoLoo Qtr. PICTURE: Peter Alagos.

Ansari said QatArt’s participation in QND 2017 celebrations is part of a series of activities the community has been involved with in the previous weeks that are geared towards promoting locally-produced handicrafts. She said QatArt recently participated in Maktaba Children's Library’s second anniversary, and another market held at The Pearl's Medina Centrale area.QatArt is also participating at the Torba Farmer’s Market, which is held every weekend until February 2018 at the Education City.A QatArt member that manages Jacob’s Metal Art stressed that there is a growing interest towards locally-produced handicrafts. “Awareness on handmade products has grown significantly, especially among many Qatari nationals,” she said.For QatArt’s winter season activities, as many as 10 new members were added to the community’s roster, bringing fresh handcrafted items to the handmade market, which is open during the weekends at Katara’s Building 19.The new products include wood carvings and wood-cut toys, metal crafts, decoupage, frames, ribbon art, sand painting, and ‘paracord’ (parachute cord) accessories, as well as special marshmallows, among others.This was echoed by Ansari, who stressed that the handmade community in Qatar is also getting support from various initiatives geared at promoting a wide range of ‘Made in Qatar’ products.“We are getting a lot of support, especially from Katara, to promote and raise awareness on the availability of many locally-produced handicrafts, which is why the handmade market features Qatari artists coming by way of Katara so they could promote their local art,” Ansari explained.