Meeting @ Paul's: Points discussed
I'm posting the email sent by Omeima earlier so that we can have an online discussion as well, especially those of us who were not able to attend:
Good day, our meeting at Pauls went very well. We plan to meet next on December 4th - Saturday - in the afternoon at Caribou cafe in Salwa Road. I will confirm the date/time/place next week. But keep the date reserved in your diaries.
We discussed the art scene in general in Qatar and members'ambitions and art interests. We agreed that being in Qatar had its challenges especially as everyone here is committed to and constrained by their work timings and people are generally just too tired and fatigued to do anything else. But we also agreed that this group has a lot to offer and it is worth making the effort.
Members interests vary; generally they want to:
• sell their artwork and are thus seeking to find ways to exhibit and promote their work e.g paintings, photography, graffiti, graphic design…etc.
• share their art and talk about it out of sheer love of art and enjoyment e.g music.
• find inspiration to start painting again.
Discussion/Brainstorm issues included:
• ways to promote art and gain some kind of recognition.
• finding a permanent venue to exhibit/market our art by renting out a space in a well trodden spot.
• use our connections to find venues that will host our group and allow us space to exhibit work “free” of charge.
• find a café and reserve a spot where we will meet once a month to exhibit art work, share art, listen to members playing their musical instruments, get update on the drama group and their next work, update on the music group and their next gig, update on the painting group and their next exhibit…..
• find funds/resources/connections to help members achieve some of their ambitions e.g film makers who want to produce a film.
• Possible name for the group - suggestions included keeping the same Qatar Art Enthusiasts or perhaps going for Art Icon, Qatart, Artidol. The slogan "Bump into Art" was a favorite.
Next meeting we hope to have done some research towards finding a venue suitable for our aspirations. You are all invited to send in your ideas. I would encourage all of you who are really interested to join up and come to our next meeting as things are starting to move quite nicely.
Regards, Omeima