A range of talks, guided tours, children’s activities and more are being organised in the coming days to celebrate International Museum Day, observed annually on May 18.
On Monday, Bahrain National Museum and Qal’at Al Bahrain Site Museum are offering free admission, allowing visitors to explore their exhibits.
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) said in a statement yesterday that it has prepared a comprehensive programme of events and activities across several of the kingdom’s leading museums and cultural sites to mark the occasion.
Qal’at Al Bahrain Site Museum
Today at 10am, Bahraini artist Fatima Hassan will be leading a workshop at Qal’at Al Bahrain Site Museum, offering attendees an opportunity to explore Bahrain’s civilisation by drawing artefacts. Advanced registration is required and the workshop costs BD10.
Today at 4pm, artist Rasha Al Nasser will facilitate an art therapy workshop at Bahrain National Museum. The workshop will be a ‘simple creative experience for self-expression in a space designed to help you relax, ease stress and reconnect with your soul through art’, according to Baca. Limited seats are available and the workshop costs BD7.
Kanoo Museum
From Monday until Saturday, Kanoo Museum will be welcoming visitors to explore its extensive archive and enjoy cultural experiences at its location in the heart of the Manama Suq.
Among these is the ‘Preserving Memory and Human Expression’ discussion panel on Wednesday moderated by Shouq Al Alawi and featuring Ahmed Al Kuwaiti, Khalid Al Hashimi and Mohammed Al Haddad.
The free-entry Arabic event will explore how photography, music, caricature and various visual forms preserve cultural memory and document historical phases and societal shifts. Registration is required.
On Thursday, the Post Office Museum in Manama is also offering a guided tour in Arabic and English at 5pm, highlighting key milestones in Bahrain’s postal history and providing insights into its historical archives. Registration is required.
The ‘His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa: Life and Legacy’ exhibition at the National Museum
There will also be a range of children’s activities at Bahrain National Museum on Friday starting at 4pm, including pottery, wood painting, seal-making and traditional mosaic door decoration. Registration costs BD5 and the event is targeted at children aged eight and above.
A host of activities have been slated for May 23.
At 11am, Bahrain National Museum will host a guided tour in Arabic of the 52nd Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, offering in-depth insights into selected artworks on display. Registration is required. Also on the same day, there will be a guided tour of the Qal’at Al Bahrain Site Museum at 11am in Arabic and at 5pm in English. Registration costs BD5 per person.
A similar tour experience of the artefacts and exhibits will also be offered at the national museum that day at the same times, with limited seats available at BD5 per person.
Kanoo Museum will also be hosting a drawing workshop at 5pm that day, in collaboration with Sketchwalk. The event will help attendees construct forms and map complex environments using sketching, documenting the museum’s spaces. Admission is free but registration is required.
At 6pm, artist and craftsman Abdullah Nasser will be conducting a pottery workshop highlighting traditional pottery and shaping techniques with an opportunity to make custom pieces. Registration costs BD22.
Also at 6pm, Nabeel Ajoor will deliver a talk titled ‘The Memory of Manama Suq’, highlighting the stories that have shaped the market as well as its commercial and cultural activities. Attendance is free and registration is required.
At 6.30pm at the national museum, there will be a talk and film screening from the UAE-based Zayed National Museum highlighting ancient ties between Dilmun and Magan civilisations.
The film Magan Boat will be screened exploring traditional boat-building techniques that enabled the people of the region to trade with the wider world in antiquity.
On June 1 and 3, curator Abduljabbar Abdulsamad will be conducting guided tours at 5pm at the national museum exploring the exhibition titled ‘His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa: Life and Legacy’.
The tour on June 3 will be in English while the other one will be in Arabic.
Registration is required. The exhibition runs from May to July.
Registration details for all events are available on Baca’s Instagram channel.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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