Members of the QatART Handmade Community staged the first of a series of workshops for the summer season at the Katara Art Studios Courtyard - Building 19 over the weekend.
According to QatART board member Swapna Namboodiri, the group’s workshops will be held until September before resuming the annual “Katara QatART Handmade Market,” which runs from October to April. 
“We are still waiting for the final schedule before posting it on social media,” added QatART external events co-ordinator Janiththri Perera, who spoke to Community on the sidelines of workshop.
This month, QatART has prepared two workshops. During yesterday’s event, Mirsini Roumelioti delivered a workshop on “Abstract Drawing” and was followed by “Block Drawing” and “Paper Lampshade,” led by Paula Bouffard and Namboodiri, respectively.
Perera’s workshop delved on “Quilted Wall Hanging without Sewing,” while Jaya Elizabeth Jacob’s session revolved around “Felt Craft.”
The second installment will be held at the same venue on May 13 from 3pm to 8pm. Liji Abdulla’s workshop on “Clay Art” is open to kids five years old and above, and comes with a QR50 registration fee.
Yanelis Garcia Salgado, on the other hand, will handle the “Introduction to Cookie Decoration” workshop, which is open to participants 14 years old and above. The registration fee is QR120.
Unlike in previous summer activities, Namboodiri said the workshops this year will only feature pop-up shops of QatART members who are delivering workshops. A pop-up shop is a small stall where handmade products are sold by a QatART member.
She added that the event yesterday attracted a significant number of attendees, which the group attributes to the “successful” staging of the recently held “1st Open Handmade in Qatar.” The event attracted more than 500 visitors.
QatART Handmade Community’s roster of members is composed mostly of stay-home mums, retired expatriates, creative couples, artists and hobbyists, who specialise in all forms of handmade art.
The community currently has 57 members from countries such as Qatar, Russia, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Spain, Pakistan, Thailand, China, Bahrain, and Egypt, among others.
Its annual “Katara QatART Handmade Market” is the ideal venue to shop for special handcrafted products such as paintings, home decor, assorted jewellery and other trinkets, cushions, frames, quilts, soaps, dolls, baby clothes, and greeting cards.
Membership co-ordinator Leila Khaleeji stressed that the QatART’s board of officers “look for diversity and uniqueness” in the artist and from his or her craft. She emphasises that reselling existing commercially-available products at the handmade market is strictly prohibited by the group to guarantee customers “genuine” products.
Khaleeji said one of the objectives of QatART mirrors Katara’s goal, which is “to introduce diversity and different cultures to the Qatari market.”
“Since our objectives reflect those of Katara’s, they have offered us to hold regular markets and workshops in their premises, which we really appreciate because it provides our members an avenue to showcase skills and express their art,” she said earlier.