Qatar
QMA celebrating International Museum Day
QMA celebrating International Museum Day
In line with the global community’s celebration of International Museum Day, Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) is today hosting a public conference in the Museum of Islamic Art auditorium highlighting this year’s theme, “Museum collections make connections”. |
The theme is a reminder that museums are living institutions that help create bonds between visitors, generations and cultures around the world.
This year’s conference will gather art collectors from across Qatar who will share the inspiration behind their collections and also connect them with like-minded enthusiasts across the country.
Speakers will include Ibrahim Yousif Fakhro, Dr Talib al-Baghdadi, Muna Salman al-Badr, Ahmad Salem al-Kuwari, Alwaleed Yousuf Jassim al-Darwish and Mohamed Abdullah Sadiq.
Fakhro, CEO, Ghanim bin Saad Group, started his collections almost a decade ago. Among his best collections is a 200-year-old piece of cloth embroidered with gold and silver from Al Madina. It is of Ottoman origin.
Dr al-Baghdadi is a historian and researcher specialised in Arab and Islamic heritage, an Islamic art expert, a member of the Union of Arab Historians and a museums affairs adviser.
Speaking on her collection, al-Badr said: “These collections represent our ancestors’ heritage passed down to descendants until they have reached us. Each piece has its own story. The Vase and the Carpet, aged around 80 years, are my two best collections.”
Al-Kuwari started his collection at the age of 10. This hobby originated through the collection of stamps and coins used in the exchange of letters with friends.
Al-Darwish started his collection 30 years ago, influenced by his father, a key member of the Collection Committee in the National Museum of Qatar (1970). The best pieces of his collection are two old coffee pots that were found during an excavation in the north of Qatar.
Sadiq has been working as a monuments expert since 2001. Among his best collections is the State of Qatar Independence Medal (1972), which he purchased from an antique shop in Doha in 2011.
“Building on our previously successful conferences, QMA is happy to be again holding an event in celebration of International Museum Day,” said Nasser al-Hammadi, curator and heritage expert at NMQ.
“By bringing together members of the community, QMA aims to involve everyone in Qatar’s arts scene and give them the chance to reflect on how museums are an important means of cultural exchange and development of mutual understanding.”
International Museum Day activities focus on the importance of museums as a platform to spread and underscore knowledge, science and human heritage. It also serves as a platform for cultural exchange and means to preserve world heritage.