QM CEO al-Mahmoud noted the enormous growth of museums worldwide during his presentation. The event saw QM chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa encouraging students to pursue a career in the arts.

By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter


Qatar Museums (QM) chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has urged university students to work hard and take advantage of available resources in the country to pursue their passion in the arts.
“If you are an artist, I encourage you to pursue that, it is a difficult career but we are here to support you,” she told students who attended the Generations of Culture panel discussion on Wednesday at Georgetown University in Qatar.
More than 200 students and alumni from branch campuses in Qatar Foundation’s Education City and Qatar University participated in the discussion. They were also given the opportunity to ask questions to the panellists.
“If you want to do something, do it well or just don’t do it because you are wasting your time and everybody else’s time,” stressed  HE Sheikha Al Mayassa. “If you want to be a filmmaker, go ahead, there are resources here for you to become the best filmmaker you can be.”
Besides QM, she noted that other institutions and organisations such as Katara – the Cultural Village can also help students enhance their skills.
Sheikha Al Mayassa cited Katara’s facilities and excellent programme for artists, providing them with galleries and space, workshops and talks.
QM made significant progress during the last 10 years in connecting promising young talent with the nation’s cultural institutions and enabling them to flourish.
Some of the initiatives it launched provided numerous learning opportunities for families, students and individuals at museums, including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art at Qatar Foundation and the Museum of Islamic Art, as well as at the Fire Station “Artist in Residence” programme and heritage sites across Qatar.
Some of these institutions offer professional development programmes in art history, museum studies, archaeology, traditional architecture, conservation and related fields through the QM Academy.
The discussion also tackled the importance of museums, their impact on the country’s economy and the need to enhance the museums industry in the region.
Speaking at the opening of the event, QM CEO Mansoor bin Ebrahim al-Mahmoud noted that there has been an enormous growth of museums worldwide. From 23,000 in 1994, the number of museums grew to 55,000 in 2014. “Globally, the demand for museums has grown substantially,” he pointed out.
Al-Mahmoud said statistics in the US shows that museums employed more than 4mn people and received more visitors than sports events and theme parks combined.
However, he admitted that the museums industry is relatively new in the region and the interest of the audience is in the early stage.
The future of cultural industries in Qatar such as educational programmes, resources, professional development and career opportunities available through QM were also discussed at the event.