Doha, 19 March 2019 — Qatar Museums (QM) today announced details of #QatarCreates, an extensive programme of workshops and panel talks organised to celebrate the inauguration of the highly anticipated National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ). The QatarCreates: Talks series of panel discussions will take place from 25 to 29 March 2019, giving the public in Doha access to a roster of leading cultural figures from Qatar, its region and around the world.

Monday, 25 March 2019

The programme begins on 25 March with a pair of panel discussions.

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Qatar will host a panel discussion on 25 March from 4:00 to 5:30 pm about how art schools have changed in the past decades and what the future of art education might look like. The panel will be moderated by QM’s Director of Education Dr. Jelena Trkulja. Speakers in the programme, “From the Art School to the Art World: Preparing a New Generation of Artists, Designers and Art Professionals for the Future,” will include the Dean of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, Shawn Brixey; the Dean and Professor of Art of the Yale University School of Art, Marta Kuzma; President of the Rhode Island School of Design, Rosanne Somerson; and British furniture designer and manufacturer, David Linley, The Earl of Snowdon. 

“Public Art & Cultural Heritage,” at 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm at the Fire Station, will be moderated by Tom Eccles, Executive Director for the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. The conversation will explore the ways in which works of public art may be inspired by the cultural and natural heritage of a country. The panel will feature QM’s Head of Public Art, Abdulrahman Al Ishaq; British artist Liam Gillick, whose new work Folded Extracted Personified has just been installed in MIA Park; French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel; and Raqs Media Collective member Shuddhabrata Sengupta.

 

Tuesday, 26 March 2019

On 26 March at 11am, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art will host a panel discussion on “Museums of Modern Art—Current Trends, East and West,” focusing on aspects of curatorial practice, programming, and socio-political engagement. Moderated by Mark Rappolt, Editor-in-Chief of ArtReview, the panel will feature Abdellah Karroum, Director of Mathaf; Michael Govan, Director of Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles; Adam Weinberg, Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; Monica Narula, a member of the Raqs Media Collective; and Vasili Tsereteli, executive director of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

An interactive talk on 26 March at the MIA auditorium from 11:00 to 12:30 pm will discuss how celebrities dress for the red carpet and reveal the considerations that inform their choices. Moderated by actress Nadine Njeim and featuring world-renowned fashion designer Monique Lhuillier, stylist Brad Goreski and Lebanese makeup artist Samer Khouzami, the panels will outline the process of finding the most compelling look for the red carpet, matching the celebrity with the right brand, and how the association with a celebrity reflects a given brand.

The programme continues on 26 March with “The Women’s Gaze in Art and Life,” held from 2:30 to 4:00 pm in the auditorium of the Museum of Islamic Art. Moderated by Rebecca Rabinow, Director of the Menil Collection in Houston, the panel will address women’s experiences and their changing role in the art world and society. Speakers will include Indian artist and member of the Raqs Media Collective Monica Narula; Qatari artist Aisha Nasser Al Sowaidi; Qatari composer Dana Al Fardan, Hamad Bin Khalifa University Associate Professor Dr. Reem Meshal; and famed filmmaker Mira Nair.

 

Wednesday, 27 March 2019

Philip Jodidio, author of more than 100 books on art and architecture, will moderate a panel discussion on “Architecture as the Face of a Nation” on 27 March from 1:00 to 2:30 pm at the Qatar National Library. The panel will feature Jean Nouvel, architect of the NMoQ; Rem Koolhaas, architect of the Qatar National Library; Ben van Berkel, architect of the Qatar Integrated Railway Project; Qatari architect Ibrahim Jaidah; and Jacques Herzog of Herzog & de Meuron, whose firm has been selected to design the new Orientalist Museum in Doha. This panel will discuss the role that museums and other cultural institutions in Qatar and elsewhere play in defining and conveying the national identity to local and global audiences.

 

Thursday, 28 March 2019

The first talk on the official public opening day of the new NMoQ will take place at the Museum itself on 28 March from 9:30 to 11:00 am. Titled “Designing the Desert Rose,” the programme will feature architect Jean Nouvel in conversation with architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff. The architect will discuss the background of the NMoQ project, the inspiration of the desert rose, and other factors that have contributed to the development of the Museum’s unique design.

From 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, the NMoQ will host a discussion on “Great Museums of the World.” The panel will touch on the evolution of the museum and what makes a museum “great” in the ever shifting local and global contexts. Moderated by Dr. Julia Gonnella, Director of the Museum of Islamic Art, the panel will feature Qatar Museums Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa; Sir John Leighton, Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland; Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg; Laurence des Cars, Director of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris; and Adam Weinberg, Director of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Tom Eccles, Executive Director of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, will moderate a panel talk at NMoQ on “The Art of Engagement,” from 4:00 to 5:30 pm on 28 March. The panelists will include Qatari ARToonist Ghada Al Khater and international artists Jeff Koons, Olafur Eliasson, Philippe Parreno, Maya Hoffman and Doug Aitken who will explore the interplay in today’s art between personal expression and social responsibility.

The last panel of the day, titled “National Museum of Qatar Art Films – Museum as Cinema-Space,” will be moderated by Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, and will take place at the NMoQ from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. It will feature filmmakers and video artists who contributed to the making of the NMoQ, discussing the role of film in the visitor experience at the museum.

 

Friday, 29 March 2019

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani will host a conversation with iconic designer Diane von Furstenberg on 29 March from 2:00 to 3:00 pm at the Qatar National Library. The talk will touch on art, fashion and life, addressing global developments in fashion and how the fashion industry has evolved over time.

The # QatarCreates: Talks series will conclude on 29 March with a presentation on “Arab Art Today” moderated by Reem Al Thani, QM’s Director of Exhibitions, held from 5:00 to 6:30 pm at Mathaf. The panelists will engage in conversation about developments in the art scene of the MENA region and explore shifting trends, while reflecting on generational differences. Participants will include Sheikha Maryam Al-Thani from QM, Qatari artists Amal Al Aathem, Yousef Ahmed; Egyptian artist Wael Shawky; and Iraqi artists Ismail Azzam and Adel Abidin. They will also discuss the relationship between Arab and global art scenes, and what it means to be an Arab artist today.

Full details on the #QatarCreates events are available at nmoq.org.qa.

 

Museum admissions

Starting from March 28, admission to NMoQ, MIA and Mathaf will be charged at the entrance. General admission will be QAR 50 for adults; QAR 25 for students and free for children under 16, Culture Pass Plus and Culture Pass Family Members, and visitors with disabilities. Tickets will be free of charge for residents of the State of Qatar, with a valid Qatar ID. General admission tickets include exhibitions within the museum and are valid for three consecutive days from the date of first admission. Museum Pass is QAR 100 and permits admission to all museums and venues, valid for three consecutive days from the date of first admission. For full terms and conditions, visit:  https://www.qm.org.qa/en/ticketing-terms-conditions

 

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