Date: 25 Mar 2026 - 25 Mar 2026
Public narratives about museums in the UAE—and across the Middle East—often focus on iconic mega-projects of the last decade. This talk offers a longer, more layered perspective, examining the UAE’s cultural sector as an interconnected ecosystem shaped over more than 40 years. Beginning in the 1980s and gaining momentum through the 1990s and early 2000s, the lecture explores how museums, private patron-led initiatives, cultural organisations, universities, and the art market collectively contributed to today’s cultural landscape. It also considers how different emirates developed distinct strategic visions and institutional priorities. By moving beyond headline narratives, the talk invites audiences to understand cultural infrastructure as a cumulative, relational process.
Date: Wednesday, 25 March, 2026
Time: 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Venue: Drake Gallery, 1/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Language: English
Please click here to register.
Speaker
Manal Ataya is a cultural leader and museum professional with over 20 years of experience in the cultural sector, specialising in museum development, cultural heritage management, cultural diplomacy, and institutional building.
Appointed Founding Deputy Director of the Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2006, she played a pivotal role in establishing the organisation’s foundations and long-term vision. In 2008, she was appointed Director General, a position she held for 15 years, overseeing a network of 17 museums and leading a team of more than 700 staff. Since 2023, Manal Ataya works as Museums Advisor for the SMA, continuing to focus on cultural strategy, policy, and new museum development projects. She is a graduate of Hamilton College and Harvard University.