DOHA: Qatar Museums (QM) has welcomed 20 talented artists who have been selected to take part in the second cycle of the innovative Fire Station “Artist in Residence” programme.
Launched in March 2015, the programme is hosted at the Doha Fire Station building and it aims to create a space that offers an indigenous, local approach to creativity and artistic production. The residency programme, which is open to local Qatari artists and residents of Qatar, runs in nine-month cycles. A group of four jury members convened to agree on the final 20 artists from a highly talented pool of more than 150 applications. The judging panel included HE Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, Board Member and Managing Director of Qatar Leadership Centre; Wissam Saleh Al Mana, Executive Director at “Al Mana Group”; Faraj Daham, Qatari artist; and Rhys R Himsworth, Head of Painting & Print Making Department at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.
The group of artists, which includes 10 Qataris, consists of artists from a range of different disciplines including art, photography, video, design, painting, poetry and drawing. They are Frances Grane, Fahad Al Obaidly, Lulu Al Musfer, Zoe Hawk, Zach Stensen, Amr Elkafrawy, Richard Blackwell, Hana Al Saadi, Maryam Ahmed, Maryam Al Suwaidi, Mariah Dekkenga, Tanzeela Abbasi, Ahmed Al Jufairi, Maryam Al Semaitt , Nawar Al Mutlaq, Abeer Al Kuwari, Nesma Khodier, Juan Martinez, Maryam Al Homaid and Titika Stamouli.
Khalifa Al Obaidli, Director of the Fire Station, said: “It is great pleasure to welcome the next batch of 20 highly creative, unique and skilled artists from a range of artistic backgrounds to take up residency at our “Artist in Residence” programme at the Fire Station. This initiative is something that I am hugely passionate about and one that is so important for the development of artists in Qatar as it celebrates local talent and gives young artists a platform to grow, exhibit and collaborate.”
The residency programme will involve mentoring and tutoring from respected local artists and will give the residents the opportunity to be in close contact with some of the big international names that Qatar Museums continually attracts to Qatar. This is in addition to access to world class curators, art historians and professors.
