The Museum and Gallery Practice Master’s degree students at UCL Qatar will explore the practical aspects of professional curating through two upcoming exhibitions in Doha.

Debuting under the name UCLQurates 2014, the exhibitions are a strategic and creative partnership between UCL Qatar and both Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and Katara Art Centre.

UCLQurates is an annual platform for museum studies students at UCL Qatar to curate exhibitions under the guidance of UCL’s academic staff. UCLQurates 2014 is the first of what is set to become an innovative feature on Doha’s cultural calendar each year, as the students’ work is recognised and celebrated through new exhibitions.

Opening on March 30 and running until April 12, the first of two exhibitions will see UCL Qatar students working with a private collection of modern and contemporary Arab art at Katara Art Centre to create “Ana Arabi?”, an exhibition that explores themes of Arab identities.

Following this with an opening on April 4, “Is the sea a woman?” is an exhibition developed by the UCLQurates students that will take place at Mathaf until May 2. The exhibition is a response to the major upcoming Etel Adnan retrospective. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Adnan’s retrospective explores her relationship with the sea, its boundlessness and the many Qatari oral traditions that celebrate seafaring and folklore. Both exhibitions will be available for public viewing during Mathaf and Katara opening hours.

“We believe UCLQurates will grow into a recognised platform for curatorial dialogue, enabling future UCL students to actively participate in Qatar’s global role in the arts and creative industries. This year’s museum studies students are delighted to be working professionally alongside Mathaf and Katara Art Centre as we launch UCLQurates,” said Alkindi al-Jawabra, MA Museum and Gallery Practice student, UCL Qatar.

UCL Qatar is currently accepting applications for places on Master’s degree programmes in Museum and Gallery Practice, Conservation, Archaeology and Library Studies, commencing in August 2014. Applications can be submitted via the UCL Qatar website with a May 1 deadline for on-time applications.