The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, DCT Abu Dhabi, has announced it is organising a summer programme for children at Al Qattara Arts Centre.
The month of July will see a dynamic series of artistic, educational and archaeological workshops and events taking place, along with weekly excursions to cultural locations in Al Ain.
The summer programme targets children ages 6-13 and will feature a number of creative training courses and workshops on crafts such as decoupage, which uses paper and pictures to make artistic collages on dishes, cups, boxes and the like, as well as pottery, where participants will use their skill and imagination to make artistic creations out of clay.
The drawing on glass workshop will teach participants how to draw various shapes using special colours for glass drawing, while the mosaic workshop will see unique artworks made from small squares and adorned with shells, stones and glass.
The programme also includes a crafts workshop where participants create imaginative objects using just paper, fabric and colours. The recycling workshop will show attendees how to design a work of art and bring it to life by reusing magazine pages, cups and old tools.
The drawing workshop will teach basic drawing techniques and methods, as well as how to use complementary colours in artworks, while the restoration workshop will give participants the opportunity to learn about restoring and preserving fragile artefacts.
Budding archaeologists in the excavation workshop will learn the methods and skills needed to dig for artefacts, while the brick workshop will teach participants how the ancestors used clay blocks and traditional building materials to build walls and structures.
In the paper quilling workshop, participants will learn the art of rolling thin strips of paper to transform them into various shapes and objects, used in paintings and cards.
In addition to this special summer programme, Al Qattara Arts Centre offers year-round art workshops and specialised courses for all ages. Monthly events hosted by local artists introduce the basic techniques of drawing, calligraphy, pottery, Oud and the piano.
Tying in with the summer programmes taking place in Al Ain, Qasr Al Muwaiji will be hosting the ‘Royal Bisht’ workshop on Tuesdays, 2nd and 16th July, to introduce participants to the Bisht, the formal apparel worn in the Gulf. Attendees will learn how they are woven by expert craftspeople, and enjoy a display of Royal Bishts.
On Saturday, 13th July the ‘Characters from the 20th Century’ exhibition will allow visitors the opportunity to interact with silent art presentations that emulate Emirati lifestyles from the early twentieth century.