Sharjah24: The Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council (Irthi) is spotlighting the rich, artistic heritage of the UAE through two fun, playful and creative workshops hosted as part of the Sharjah Art Foundation's Community Programme, designed for both children and adults.

The workshops hosted by the UAE-based NAMA Women Advancement (NAMA) affiliate and led by Irthi’s Hirfati Youth Programme combines both traditional Emirati as well as contemporary sustainable crafts and are aimed at stimulating, training, and engaging with the next generation of designers, artists, and craft makers.

Focusing on ‘Talli’ and Safafah’ – two craft forms rooted in the Emirati cultural identity, the two free-to-attend workshops will be held on March 11 and 12 in Arabic and English from 6pm to 7.30pm. 

Safafah, the Emirati craft of weaving the palm fronds, will be in focus at the ‘Plaster Mould & Safeefah’ workshop on March 11th where participants will create and design unique pieces of art using gypsum moulds. Inspired by Irthi and Alia Bin Omair’s ‘Safeefah x Gold Casting’ Design Lab, where the UAE-based jewellery designer produced gold cast weaves to create a versatile jewellery collection, participants at the Plaster Mould & Safeefah’ workshop can unleash their creativity by decorating the gypsum mould with the interweaving patterns of Safeefah.

In the ‘Gelli Printing on Tote bags’ workshop on March 12th, participants will be introduced to Gelli printing techniques to create a one-of-a-kind artwork featuring layered prints, colours and textures on tote bags that are enhanced with the unique embroidery techniques of Emirati Talli.

To register for Irthi’s exciting crafts-based workshops and hone your creative skills, please contact us through [email protected]