MIA Park hosted its first Qatar Museums Culture Pass member’s party in its grounds on Tuesday 9^th December, a sell-out event that saw more than 200 attendees enjoy a range of events and displays celebrating Qatari culture.

The Culture Pass free membership programme, launched earlier this year in partnership with Vodafone Qatar, is open to everyone and offers individuals the chance to experience exclusive benefits linked to a diverse programme of cultural activities across Qatar. In under one year, it has welcomed an impressive 9000 new members to the scheme.

Yesterday’s party in the park was opened by Travers Lee, head of the Qatar Museums Culture Pass scheme, who welcomed members to MIA Park. Shaika Nasser Al-Nassr, head of exhibitions at the Museum of Islamic Art, then gave guests an exclusive overview of upcoming exhibitions in 2015; and Dr. Leslee Katrina Michelsen, head of the Curatorial and Research section of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), gave additional insight into Marvellous Creatures: Animal Fables in Islamic Art, MIA’s latest exhibition, which opens to the public on the 4^th March 2015. Throughout the evening, guests were treated to live Arabic music, food and refreshments, a gift bag and the opportunity to get unique Henna designs from local Henna artists.

Phil Lawrie, Chief Commercial Officer, Qatar Museums, who attended the event, said:

“To our members, the value of Culture Pass is about getting something extra – whether that is discounts at our cafés, restaurants and shops or invites to special events and activities like our monthly workshops and lecture invites or members-only tours to our exhibitions. This evening’s party-in-the-park is another way for us to provide something extra for our members and at the same time to celebrate and communicate our cultural programmes in a truly beautiful setting.”

Arif Saeed, Qatar Museum’s Marketing and Digital expert, Public Art, also gave guests an insight into the ways in which Qatar Museums is nurturing emerging talent. As part of this, next year Qatar Museums will launch its artists’ residence programme – Fire Station: Artists in Residence. Saeed explained the former Civil Defence Building, known locally as Doha’s Fire Station, has been transformed into a hub and platform for creative exchange. The nine-month programme will support local artists by providing 20 studios and a gallery space to collaborate with other creatives, academia and the community, enabling them to hone and develop their techniques.

Culture Pass members have access to exclusive, VIP exhibition openings; special workshops that develop creative skills and explore exhibition themes; private tours of QM museums and galleries; and a range of additional discounts and benefits including 15% off at QM food and beverage outlets, discounts at QM gift shops and 10% discount on venue hire at a number of premium spaces across Qatar. As part of the Culture Pass programme, Qatar Museums and Vodafone have also opened the first world-class call centre dedicated to culture in Qatar. The service, which is freely available to all Culture Pass holders, is designed to help users discover more about Qatar’s cultural landscape, plan visits to exhibitions and educational activities, and learn more about the membership programme.

To sign up to a free Culture Pass membership, visit qm.org.qa/culturepass. The call centre line is open daily from 8am until 8pm, and can be reached for free on 8000 011.

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QNE

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