Community artists to showcase their creativity at the EC gift shop

Whether you are looking for educational places to benefit your young children, or want to visit places of entertainment with your teenagers, the Education City Gift Shop could be your destination of choice.

Qatar Foundation will soon be reopening the doors of its Education City Gift Shop – a store that works with students, graduates, and other members of the creative local community, including various charitable organizations within Qatar.

Education City’s own community of artists – from students at Qatar Foundation’s (QF’s) partner universities such as Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, to professors and staff – will be able to showcase their creativity at the Education City Gift Shop.

The shop is engaged in a number of collaborative projects with charitable organizations such as the Ministry of Interior (MOI), Al Shafallah Center, and the Orphan Care Center (Dreama), and handmade products made by children from these centers will be sold at the gift shop as well.

A range of customized items, such as stationery, apparel, jewelry, games, bookmarks, posters, fridge magnets, mugs, caps, and much more will be sold at the gift shop, and can be purchased from its outlets in Oxygen Park and at the 2015 building (Qatar Foundation Headquarters), as well as from a pop-up store which will move from place to place.

The shop in the Oxygen Park will have a reading corner that will operate in collaboration with QF’s Qatar Reads program; while the Makery Space will be an area where children can develop their innovative and creative capabilities and it will be available to rent for the local community. And visitors will be able to enjoy a beverage at the seasonal Café while sifting through the merchandise section that will showcase ready-to-purchase art pieces, designs, and products of locally based artists and designers.

For Fatima Al-Emadi, a designer, selling her products at the Education City Gift Shop is matter of pride. “QF is a very respected organization, not just in Qatar but in the world, and it is an honor for me to be part of this.” Al-Emadi also believes that her products reflect the multicultural and diverse environment at QF, making them attractive to a wide audience.

"I hope the QF community benefits from my products – they are fun to use and add joy to a person's daily life.”

Al-Emadi says that although she has collaborated with various gift shops and stores, her experience at the Education City Gift Shop has been the best so far. “This has been the smoothest experience, and the staff are very friendly and helpful.”

Al-Emadi believes the Education City Gift Shop is a great platform that encourages artists by exposing them to art from fellow artists, and by also giving them the opportunity to sell their work. She says, “Artists can stay motivated to follow their passion for art by being exposing to different artists and art styles, and the community can also learn that art can come in different types, shapes, and forms. The gift shop gives you the opportunity to build a career around your art and do what you enjoy.”

Razan Suliman, Art Director at House of Cultures – a local project that sells its products at the gift shop – says that the Education City Gift Shop provides a great opportunity to showcase Arab culture through various art forms.

“The gift shop is a valuable opportunity to support us in our representation of the authenticity and rich history and culture of our country,” she said. “Our goal is to portray the Arabic culture in a unique and creative way that would attract the audience, while enabling them to learn more about our culture,” Suliman says.

Like Al-Emadi, Suliman also believes that the gift shop encourages artists to follow their passion in art. “QF discovers talents and knows the value of hard work, and so, it’s an honor to be in any way part of this wonderful organization.”

Those interested in displaying their products at the Education City Gift Shop should send a proposal to ecgiftshopinfo@qf.org.qa.