The Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi was established in the year 1971. It was the vision and the dream come true of the Father of the United Arab Emirates, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. This organization was set up with a vision to make art and culture accessible to all. The aim and the mission of this coveted organization is to develop art and heritage among all in the UAE.
History
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had brewed a vision of a cultural organization for the society. He had contemplated a cultural enlivening in Abu Dhabi, the capital and then the arousal would spread to the rest of the UAE and even beyond, he had envisaged. At the competition, that was held, for the design and structure of the Foundation, TAC, The Architect’s Collaborative was the winner. This was headed by Walter Gropius, an architect and designer from Germany. The competition’s criteria were to have a design that would imbibe the Arab and Islamic culture with modern elements into it.
The design was interesting. It had planned a courtyard at the centre with a building that had three wings all around the courtyard. A designer Hishan Al Ashkouri, an architect from Iraq was invited to head the building project. The building was completed in the year 1975. In 1981, when the cultural organization was opened the National Library was also started along with a centre for exhibition and an auditorium. The building is now a part of the culture and heritage of UAE since the completion of its renovation in 2018.
The Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi is a leading-edge centre of art, music, film and theatre for boosting the city’s creative spirit. The place houses several art galleries, auditorium, theatre, a children’s library and so on. The centre hosts frontline, musical and dance performances, films, theatrical art and other performances and events. It serves as the beacon of knowledge. This institution is a motley of art, culture, library, national archives which makes it the numero uno in case of cultural preservation and development in the UAE.
Walkthrough
The architectural design was envisioned by the designers of the project as per the dream and vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. The design is an amalgamation of the Islamic and modern aesthetics.
First, you enter the institute and reach the courtyard which has an Arabian Islamic form of architecture. The place carries a sense of Islamic palaces in the bygone days in its design and architecture. The courtyard leads a visitor through corridors leading to the inner chambers. The Islamic architecture of the interior of the institute carries a tradition called the “finaa”. The outer courtyard is a meeting place for all social communions and meetings. The other courtyard inside the building has a hall for exhibition and this concept is known as “sahn”. This is a very private place where one generally engages in finer discourses for the garnering of mental faculties.
The arcades are covered up in bright yellow and vibrant turquoise tiles in star shapes. The design speaks of the Islamic heritage of the country. This design is carried forth in the planters and splashes of the verdant green foliage and plants around the fountain speak volumes for the aesthetic detailing of the place. The special woodwork inside also refers to the artistic décor of the building. The architecture also shows respect to Qasr al Hosn due to the low height, some specialty in designing like arcades and water fountains and the décor. While you have explored the mighty Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi building, you may leave the place and head off to Zayed the first Street.
Timing
- The Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi is open from Sundays to Thursdays from 8 am to 4 pm.
- The institution remains closed on Friday and Saturday.
Entry Fee
- The entry to the coveted, vanguard Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi is free for all.
Location
While we walk down the labyrinthine backstreets of Abu Dhabi, we would be right in front of the entrance to the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi. This majestic building of The Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi stands today as a haven for all thinkers, philosophers, educationists and artists. On the left side of this esteemed institution is the Qasr Al Hosn fort. The building of the Cultural Foundation is located off Khalifa Street, downtown Abu Dhabi, beside the White fort or Qasr Al Hosn fort.
Mission of the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi
From its very onset the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi has lived up to the dreams and aspirations of its founder the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It has always been showering the land with timeless art and culture over the years.
Here is an account of the workplan and initiatives and the mission undertaken by the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi Organization.
- A charismatic program runs in the institute mainly promoting art and culture. Workshops and classes for the adults and teenagers run at their skill levels. Master classes are run by Bait Al Khatt, the master of calligraphy in a new space at the institute. And also Arabic calligraphy lessons are imparted by the eminent calligrapher Mohammed Mandi.
- In the theatre that has 900 seating accommodation, performing arts programs are held. The former library now hosts a children’s library known as the Children’s Library, Abu Dhabi. The space is 5250 square metres which caters to both print and digital contents.
- An avantgardeprogram for visual arts is promoted here through workshops, seminars, events and exhibitions. Also exhibition space is attributed to communities of artists, curators and the collectives in UAE. The Art Residency program is a leading-edge program for the artists of the UAE who make good use of the spaces allotted here to them.
If you are this place then may go for Sheikh Zayed Mosque tour and for a Abu Dhabi city tour that cover majority of nearby places.
Conclusion
A visit to this Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi is not only an experience in knowledge and education but also delving into the deep culture and civilization of the whole of the UAE. The exhibitions held here are a fine weave of models of the old Abu Dhabi, historical photos, collection of art and architecture of the Islamic ages, cultural artifacts and so on. The presence of meeting rooms, halls where lectures and discourses are held, theatre, cinema, exhibition centre, coffee shops that help and cater to the large number of events held here make it a very popular hub for exchange of artistic and cultural viewpoints.
The Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi is growing up very fast and also adding and catering to the cultural contributions of Manaarat Al Saadiyat and The Louvre, Abu Dhabi.
