Qatar Museums enters New Year with compelling January programme

Creating an immersive community experience for all ages, Qatar Museums (QM) is set to organise a series of workshops, events, and activities throughout the month of January.
Inspired and led by Qatar’s creative community, the diverse programme facilitates a meeting between the public and all art forms – from hands-on clay carving workshops to pencil drawing, fashion design, and creative writing.

Museum of Islamic Art (MIA)

MIA Story Time: Monday, from 11am to 12noon (Arabic and English) - Children aged three to five are invited to a 30-minute interactive story time session, which draws on a variety of creative activities – from sock puppet making to colouring and singing – to bringing participants together in a spirit of artistic community and early learning. (For more information and registration, please e-mail [email protected])
Pencil Drawing with Ismail Azzam - Two-day workshop on Sundays and Mondays, from 4pm to 6pm (Arabic) on January 9 and 10; 16 and 17; and 23 and 24. Renowned Iraqi artist Ismail Azzam will teach participants the techniques of shading, light, and introducing details to pencil drawings. This advanced-level workshop is open to students with an existing background in portraiture or still life. (For more information and registration, please e-mail [email protected])
Basics of Drawing - A two-day workshop on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4pm to 6pm (Arabic) on January 11 and 12; 18 and 19; and 25 and 26. Qatari artist Ali al-Kuwari will cover fundamentals of drawing, painting, from planning, formation, mixing colours, and dragging photos. (For more information, please e-mail [email protected])
Cyanotype (Blueprint) Inspired by Outdoor - January 15 from 10am to 12pm (Arabic and English). Open to youth aged 12 to 15, this art workshop explores the history of cyanotype – a photographic printing process that produces a lovely monochromatic image in shades of blue. Led by Qatari artist, Mashael al-Hejazi, participants will ultimately create their own cyanotypes using plants. (For more information and to sign up, please e-mail [email protected])
Family Day - Birds, Birds, Birds! - January 15 from 12pm to 4pm (Arabic and English) - Families can come together for a day in the sun and nature at MIA Park, while the Museum is closed for refurbishment. Taking inspiration from MIA and the world around us, join us in January to think about birds, their beauty and use in Islamic art, and just how many different species you can see in Qatar. (For more information, please e-mail [email protected])

National Museum of Qatar

Let’s Discover the Museum Collection - January 4 (Arabic) and January 11 (English) from 10am to 12pm, and from 4pm to 6pm. On the occasion of World Braille Day, the Museum’s Learning Team has created a tour that enables visitors with visual impairment to access to the Museum Collection through the guide’s audio commentary and their sense of touch. During the visit, the guide will take participants through the galleries, where they can also find information in Braille about the objects on exhibit. (For advance registration, please e-mail [email protected])

Children’s Exploration Journey - Every Monday in January (English) and every Thursday in January (Arabic) from 4pm to 5.30pm - An interactive adventure through the museum’s galleries and family exhibits. The guided tour invites children aged six to nine and their families to use their problem-solving skills to broaden their knowledge of Qatar’s environment, heritage, and culture. (For more information and for bookings, please e-mail [email protected])
Clay Carving - January 22 from 4pm to 6pm (Arabic and English) - In this tour and art workshop, participants will learn about petroglyphs, a form of rock art, in Qatar and create their own masterpiece inspired by the petroglyphs in the gallery. Stop by to learn about the different types of clay, the traditional carving tools, and the intricate processes and techniques for creating an artwork in clay. (For more information and for bookings, please e-mail [email protected])

Qatar Museums Learning and Outreach

Between Humans and their Toys – Parents and Kids’ Relationship through Playing - Monday (January 3) from 4pm to 5pm (Arabic and English). Starting with a discussion on the differences in toys across generations and how they hold on and reflect our memories, this workshop demonstrates how quality time spent in play can enhance the parent-child relationship. Participants will learn how to design and create toys and modelling techniques to make sculptures using mixed media. (To register, please e-mail [email protected])

Use Your Imagination - Creative Writing Workshop - January 4 and 5, from 10am to 12pm (Arabic and English) - Young teenage writers can join a two-day workshop on the basic principles of creative and short story writing, designed to expand their imagination and creativity. The first day introduces the principles of writing a short story via a walk-in gallery conversation, discussing the participants’ perception of the artworks. On the second day, they will create a main character from the exhibition, using different artistic techniques. Inspired by Jeff Koons' reference to balloons in his sculptures, participants are challenged to use an inflated balloon in their character. (To register, please e-mail [email protected])

Teachers Teaching Teachers - Are you an art teacher looking to connect with and learn from other fellow teachers? Local art teachers interested in attending the interactive ‘Teachers Teaching Teachers’ programme are encouraged to complete the registration form at https://forms.office.com/r/4P9u1DfPt5 by Tuesday, January 4, 2022. For any questions, please contact [email protected]

Create your Fashion Look Using Flower Petals - January 12, from 5pm to 6pm (Arabic and English), and online on working days until March 2022 - Inspired by the ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams Exhibition’, participants are challenged to think beyond the traditional confines of fashion design. Select your favourite flowers from the garden to create your own fashion piece, from dresses, shoes, or bags, using flower petals or leaves. For advance registration, please visit https://forms.office.com/r/5Be5XVg2Ji

Fine Art's Aesthetic Dimensions and Impact on Pop Art - January 20, from 6.30pm to 8pm (Arabic) - Kuwait University’s Dr Musaed Albehairi will share an overview of the aesthetic dimensions in art throughout history. Teachers, university students, and youth are invited to question modern art’s impact on culture, the emergence of the Industrial Revolution and kinetic art, and the advent of pop art in the 20th century United States. (To register for this Zoom workshop, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qd-mqqDMoE9B6nc-uhPo3hUIVt_VQkLgL)