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Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has given the public its first glimpse of the Al Safa Art & Design Library — a branch of the Dubai Public Library — during the 12th edition of Art Dubai from which ran from 21st to 24th March 2018. Art Dubai is an integral part of Dubai Art Season, which runs throughout March and April under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture.
Al Safa Art & Design Library is the pilot project of Dubai Culture’s strategic initiative to revamp all its public libraries in Dubai, which was launched by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) in 2016. Al Safa Art & Design Library will officially open its doors to the public by end of April 2018. Far beyond a traditional library, Al Safa will serve as a dynamic platform where members of the creative community can meet, create, work, research and read.
As Art Dubai takes place during the UAE’s National Month of Reading in March, it is a particularly fitting time to share the Al Safa Library’s perfect marriage of art, design and literature, where visitors were shown a glimpse to the new Al Safa Art & Design Library, where 70% of the space is dedicated to art-related programmes and galleries, while the remaining 30% is dedicated to books and reading spaces. The library features a beautifully designed art gallery space and a creative space where emerging designers, architects and artists can collaborate, support each other’s work, and access a large collection of books and resources covering various fields of art and design including fine art, architecture, calligraphy, music, and performing art and many more. It is also home to modern multi-purpose rooms and work areas, as well as a dedicated children’s library that has been designed to engage the younger generation with an activity room, a media room, a book room and an interactive digital wall, green wall and feature wall.
The library has been designed to reflect the Dubai Public Libraries’ purpose as prominent centres for knowledge and culture in the Emirate, also supporting the National Reading Strategy and Dubai Culture’s mission to strengthen the literature sector to bring happiness to society. In its design, the library embodies Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of creating quiet, spacious and beautiful urban spaces for reflection that ‘express the sublimity of contemplation and aloofness’.
The new Al Safa Art & Design Library will also feature a section dedicated to showcasing materials, as well as digital content and databases including digital stock imaging libraries. It will encourage partnerships and collaboration between regional and international institutions for content generation and programming.
The Dubai Public Library network includes eight libraries for adults and another seven for children, as well as multi-purpose halls and classrooms. All Dubai Public Library branches are connected via computer systems and have links with other modern libraries, providing access to vast sources of information and knowledge on an immense diversity of topics in both Arabic and English.
For more information on Dubai Culture, kindly visit:
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Twitter: @DubaiCulture, @dubaiartseason
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About Dubai Culture & Arts Authority:
The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) was launched on March 8, 2008 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in order to drive the growth of the city’s artistic and cultural landscape. The Authority has grown to play a major role in the realization of the Dubai Plan 2021, to highlight Dubai as a thriving capital for creative industries and further embed the Emirate’s credentials as a city of happy, creative and empowered people.
As part of its mandate, Dubai Culture has several initiatives that are focused on strengthening both the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai, including Dubai Art Season - the city’s premier umbrella arts initiative which kicks off with Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and encompasses Art Week including Art Dubai, Design Days Dubai, and SIKKA Art Fair- an annual event aimed at promoting Emirati and local artists in the UAE and the wider GCC region, Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre - an annual festival that fosters the art of theatre in the UAE and that is celebrating its 10thanniversary in 2016, and Dubai Next - a dynamic platform that aims to showcase the Emirate’s cultural ethos and its vibrant creative scene on the global stage.
The Authority’s other key initiatives include Creatopia (www.creatopia.ae) - the nation’s first government empowered virtual community that guides and nurtures the creative culture of the nation and provides a platform of information and opportunities that lead to exposure and personal growth.
Dubai Culture also plays a leading role in support of the UAE National Strategy for Reading 2026, in particular by undertaking a major refurbishment of all Dubai Public Libraries branches to transform them into state-of-art cultural and artistic hubs. Across all of its branches, Dubai Public Library also provides children and young adults with a range of educational and entertaining activities that encourage the use of its facilities. The ‘Our Summer is Filled with Culture & Arts Programme’ is a Dubai Public Library initiative which complements the UAE National Reading Strategy, with its activities open to all age groups, and which revolve around four key themes: happiness, reading, family and the future.
The Authority also manages more than 16 heritage sites across the Emirate, and is a key government stakeholder in the development of the Dubai Historical District. As the custodian Authority of Dubai’s museum sector, Dubai Culture officially launched Etihad Museum in December 2016. The museum provides platform to encourage cultural exchange and to connect Emirati youth with their culture and history. As part of the Authority mandate to support Dubai’s vision of becoming the focal point of diverse cultural exchange (regionally & globally), the museums will play a catalyst role in preserving Emirati Heritage.
For more information on Dubai Culture, visit www.dubaiculture.gov.ae
© Press Release 2018
