• Home
• /
• Lifestyle
• /
• Arts

Year of the 50th: Celebrate UAE National Day with these activities and exhibitions

Rejoice in colours, creativity and culture

A fun day out

Warehouse421, the home-grown arts and design centre dedicated to nurturing creative production across the region, is inviting the community to join the celebrations today with a range of art activities (between 3 and 8 pm). You could learn the art of boatmaking with Makerspace and build a boat similar to the UAE abra boats. This will be put together with PVA glue with instructions from the teacher and completed with the UAE flag adorning it. Or you could make yourself a beaded pearl jewel with Cece Kim. Other activities also include a chance to learn about the Emirate dialect.

A global canvas

The team at ArtsCrafts put forward three interesting themes for artists to play with — UAE Heritage and Culture, UAE Landscape and Cityscape, and Celebrating the journey of the UAE’s Development. They invited entries from artists all over the globe on the same, to join them in the celebration of the UAE’s glory and received works from countries like India, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Morocco, Jordan, Sri Lanka and more. “We decided to celebrate the occasion with the core strength of arts as the focus to tell stories,” says Anil Kejriwal, founder, Artscrafts, an online platform that focuses on bringing forth contemporary art skills that anyone can connect with at a basic level. The entries are now being judged by a prestigious jury and one lucky winner will take home an award of $1,000.

For the youth

Funun Arts, a non-profit platform where artists are given an opportunity to exhibit their talents in a space that is affordable, is celebrating the occasion with the future generation. “Art is the best way to express, so we’ve organised an art exhibition on December 1 where students from different schools and nationalities will be showcasing artworks themed on UAE: Spirit of the Union,” says Shiba Khan, co-founder, of the multi-national community. The platform is accepting entries from children in the age group of 10 and above, and the theme can be explored in any medium like charcoal, acrylic, oil or mixed media. “The UAE is land of progressive vision, opportunities, rich culture and heritage, and we wish for the youth to come forward and express it as art,” adds Farah Khan, co-founder, Funun.

purva@khaleejtimes.com