Preparations are underway for the staging of a market for assorted handicrafts created by different artists from Qatar and other parts of the Gulf region, an official of QatArt Handmade Community has said.

Board member Swapna Namboodiri said the event entitled ‘Regional Handmade Exhibition’ is slated on December 9 and 10 at the Al Jazeera Tower in Doha’s West Bay.
“This will be the first time that QatArt will be organising a regional handmade exhibition where some of the participants will come from Dubai, Kuwait, and Cairo, aside from our regular members based in Doha, she told Gulf Times along the sidelines of QatArt’s ‘mini market’ held yesterday at the Katara Art Studios Courtyard - Building 19.
Namboodiri noted that the regional handmade market will showcase the works of around 65 artists and designers, as well as crafters, and will serve as an opportunity for “holiday shopping.” The event will also feature customised workshops as part of the ‘handmade family day’.
She also said the upcoming event was an offshoot of QatArt’s ‘1st Open Handmade in Qatar Exhibition’ held in April and featured the works of more than 50 participants.
QatArt’s membership co-ordinator Leila Khaleeji said Friday's ‘mini market’ also saw the participation of six new members, who specialise in different forms of handmade artworks.
“We have one new member that makes fashionable jewellery and another who creates different artworks from buttons, while the others are into dot painting, illustrations, and prints using linocut technique,” Namboodiri explained.
Khaleeji pointed out that QatArt’s roster of members is constantly changing because some expatriates are leaving the country for good.
“But we have a good number of expatriates replacing those who have left the country, and we regularly receive a lot of applications from other artists,” said Khaleeji, who added that QatArt currently has around 58 members.
While the highlight of QatArt’s series of activities in 2016 would be the regional handmade exhibition, Khaleeji said the group will still hold a handmade market at Katara on December 2.
She said plans are also in the pipeline for the staging of several art workshops at Katara slated on December 23.
“We are still finalising what type of workshops would be held on December. Invitations have been sent to our members and we are still waiting for their response. Details, once finalised, will be announced via social media, Khaleeji added.