Dubai Culture holds handicrafts workshops at Coins Museum

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the managing entity for museums in the UAE, recently organised four workshops at the Coins Museum, with an aim to promote the use and understanding of the ancient handicrafts of the UAE, including gypsum decoration, pottery, glass, and ceramics art.

The workshops were held from 1st- 4thApril 2019, at the historic venue of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. In line with Dubai Culture’s strategy of supporting and empowering the traditional handicrafts industry, and as part of its rich calendar of year-round activities and events, the workshops were held as an effort to position Dubai as a hub for innovation, tradition, and happiness. The workshops welcomed participants from the age of 9 and above, for sessions of four hours starting 9:00 am until 1:00 pm, offering a rare opportunity to learn the intricacies of ancient art and craft forms, that are the foundation of UAE’s rich cultural heritage.

Abdalla Al Obeidli, Manager of Specialized Museums / Acting Manager of Al Shindagha Open Museum, said: “Organising these specialised workshops comes in line with the recent announcement of Dubai Culture’s Traditional Handicrafts Strategy, which assures that efforts are made to preserve and promote the traditional elements of the Emirati society by engaging the community and creating a learning and experiential platform for interested members to explore the heritage with help of experts and well-skilled members in this field. As the dates of these workshops coincided with Dubai Culture’s SIKKA Art Fair 2019, which attracted a huge number of visitors, and hence enabled us to enrich the community experiences, bolstering the Emirate's thriving cultural horizons and inspiring people to consider heritage and art as an important part of their lifestyles.”

The first workshop, which started on April 1, 2019, focused on making, drying, and coloring pottery manually, while the second specialized workshop dealt in the restoration of archaeological artifacts and recycling of used papers. The third workshop enlightened participants about the ancient art of glass painting and the fourth one was about drawing and painting on ceramic. The workshops were held under the supervision of Ms. Amal Lutfi, Mr. Abdulkhaliq Abreza, and Mr. Ahmed Fawaz. 

Coin Museum is a unique heritage site that opened in 2004 and is located at the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, near Dubai Museum, Bur Dubai. The Museum features coins from historic and pre-historic era. The Museum consists of seven main showrooms and has special display cabinets along with magnifying screens available for over 435 coins. The Museum narrates the story of evolution of currencies in Dubai and the region, and explores the past where the monetary system was linked to the British Empire, India, and the countries of the region, before the formation of the country. 

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the UAE’s rich heritage. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures to enhance Dubai's position as a creative and sustainable global city for culture, heritage, arts, and literature, with the aim to empower these sectors by developing creative and innovative projects and initiatives locally, regionally, and globally.