Liwan Design Studios and Labs, part of Qatar Museums Creative Hubs, is a membership space dedicated to supporting and connecting Qatar's burgeoning creative community. It provides designers who join as members with state-of-the-art labs for pottery, leatherworking, digital photography, prototyping, coworking, and shared studios.
Through its robust schedule of public programs featuring leading local and international creatives, audiences can participate in stimulating commentary on important cultural and intellectual matters surrounding design. Liwan publishes Al Journal, an online collection of essays, articles, book and exhibition reviews and visuals exploring contemporary design themes across the Middle East and beyond. There is also an archive library housing a collection of roughly 850 archived children's books and objects belonging to the former school where Liwan currently resides. On display are old children's storybooks showcasing some of the best late 20th-century typography, illustration, and design from the Arab world.
Located in the heart of Msheireb Downtown, Doha's ambitious new design district, Liwan is housed in an imaginatively repurposed historic building that was the first officially recognized school for girls in Qatar, founded by education pioneer Amna Mahmoud Al Jaida. The original school, Banat El Doha (renamed Umm Almo'mneen Primary School), opened in the late 1950s. It is a landmark institution in local history and pays tribute to Qatar's architectural, social, and educational history. It also hosts a permanent exhibition to honor the legacy of Amna Mahmoud Al Jaida. Liwan is led by multidisciplinary Qatari designer Aisha Bint Nasser Al Sowaidi as its director.
Find Us Online
Liwan Design Studios and Labs
Instagram: @liwan.qa
Website: https://liwan.org.qa/