Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, ADMAF, yesterday joined over 30,000 organisations around the world in celebrating International Museum Day, IMD 2015, by holding two community arts workshops at Mushrif Central Park.

In collaboration with Emirati artist Azza Al Qubaisi, the workshops centred around the 2015 IMD theme, 'Museums for a Sustainable Society'. One of the most important contemporary challenges shared by people all over the world is to adapt new ways of living and developing within the limits of nature. This transition towards a sustainable society requires inventing new methods of thinking and acting. Museums play a key role in this transition, promoting sustainable development and serving as real laboratories for best practices. The 2015 IMD theme recognises the role of museums in raising public awareness about the need for a society that is less wasteful, more cooperative and uses resources in a way that respects living systems.

Participants at the workshops were invited to create artworks using old trimmed palm leaves, wood and sand, highlighting the concept of collection and preservation, while taking the old and making it new. Children and adults of all ages were also invited to take a ‘Fun Facts' tour of Mushrif Central Park exploring the park's role in collecting and preserving through keeping and replanting old trees.

ADMAF participates in International Museum Day every year. Previous recent editions have featured the exhibitions ‘Sky Over The East: Works from the Collection of Barjeel Art Foundation' and ‘Toys and Treasures - Toy Box to Treasure Chest: The Art of Collecting'.