Sharjah is Set for the Region’s First Contemporary Craft Museum
Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates is planning what is described as the region’s first contemporary crafts museum, the Irthi Museum, scheduled to open in the Sharjah Creative Quarter in 2029. Announced by the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, the museum will hold a permanent collection of contemporary crafts from across the Gulf and focus on preserving and documenting traditional skills such as weaving, woodworking, and glassmaking while supporting research and new craft practices. The council was established in 2016 by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi and has provided vocational training for Emirati craftswomen, including through the Bidwa Social Development Program after Sharjah’s 2019 designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. The Creative Quarter is being built by Taller de Arquitectura – Mauricio Rocha with Daniel Rossello and is also slated to include institutions such as Qasimi Archives, Sharjah Fashion Lab, Sharjah Design Centre, and a Sharjah outpost of L’École, School of Jewelry Arts.
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This story was covered in Museum Shakeups, Auction Fever, and Digital Deluges