If you are an artist or art practitioner who wishes to enhance your knowledge and skills in writing, marketing, sound art, research and archives, join our professional development workshops. You will also have the opportunity to take part in guided studio visits.

To examine the role of art in culture and the ways in which theory and practice are connected, immerse yourself in our intensive three-day courses about visual literacy and research methodologies for university students and emerging and mid-career artists.

On weekend evenings once a month, study how art is defined, presented and received through careful reading, critical thinking and analysis. You will work with examples from texts, films, performances, archives, posters, comics, songs and literature to expand your knowledge and develop techniques for questioning and interpreting different genres and artistic approaches. Dialoguing with these complex ideas will, in turn, help you to ground and enrich your own practice.

Focusing on different concepts and research methodologies, each course, offered in either Arabic or English, aims to empower you to create powerful and meaningful work by helping you understand its cultural impact.

Discover the vibrant world of RISO printing in our hands-on workshops designed for artists, designers and anyone passionate about unique printing techniques. RISO, short for Risograph, is an eco-friendly and cost-effective printing method that combines the mechanics of screenprinting with the ease of digital printing.

Workshops led by artists will guide you through the process—from digital file preparation to the final printed piece. Experiment with different techniques, create your own prints, and meet like-minded peers.

Learn how to prepare artwork for RISO printing, choose paper types, and understand colour separation. Dive deep into the technical and creative aspects or RISO printing as well, including the use of distinctive soy-based inks and the possibilities (and limitations) of its layering capabilities. 

Develop your skills as a comic writer. Learn how to craft a narrative, work with colour and make use of digital apps.

Comics Lab is a hub of creativity and learning dedicated to nurturing a deep appreciation for comics as an art form and storytelling medium. Through rigorous and varied workshops that emphasise both the fundamentals and experimental approaches and techniques, Comics Lab provides a comprehensive platform invested in innovation, collaboration and community. 

Immerse yourself in leading international sound and music discourses through various performance and knowledge-sharing activities. Learn about musical instruments and styles of music as well as radio, music publishing and archive-building. 

Join our monthly book club meetups to delve into works on a variety of subjects, from Emirati writers, Palestinian history and the African freedom struggle to dystopian literature, graphic novels and the art of book covers. You may even have the opportunity to participate in a literary tour of Sharjah.

Read the suggested books for each session and/or bring books of your own to discuss with the group.

Experience and capture Sharjah’s history, its diverse communities and its landscapes during photowalks through the heritage areas of Sharjah City as well as more rural areas such as the mountains of Khorfakkan. Many excursions are offered in collaboration with locally based artists, art practitioners and community members.