Sharjah: Marking a landmark 10-year journey of reviving Emirati craft heritage and empowering artisans, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council (Irthi) is announcing the launch of Irthi Museum – the region’s first museum dedicated to contemporary craft. The new museum marks a significant milestone in Irthi’s impactful and evolving role as a platform for contemporary craft, design, and research.
Located within Sharjah Creative Quarter, the Irthi Museum will serve as a permanent institution for the preservation, reinterpretation, and future development of contemporary craft in the UAE and the wider region. As a city recognised by UNESCO as a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, Sharjah has long championed cultural preservation, artistic production, and knowledge exchange — making it a natural home for the region’s first museum dedicated to contemporary craft.

The landmark initiative is poised to become a permanent platform in advancing and contemporizing Emirati and regional crafts. This new space reaffirms Irthi’s commitment to building a creative economy through its on-ground initiatives and cultural display of traditional crafts. Irthi Museum’s dynamic space will empower traditional artists with the right tools and exposure to represent indigenous craft legacy on a global platform.

Reem Bin Karam, the Director General of Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, said: “The Irthi Museum stands as a living bridge between heritage techniques and contemporary expressions — a promise to keep our rich craft practices intact and carry them forward into the future. It is a celebration of craft not as a preserved relic, but as a vibrant, evolving legacy.”