Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC) is a high-profile institution in the US capital, Washington DC. Established in 2017, it has taken upon itself the mission of enriching cultural and educational exchange between Qatar and the United State of America over the recent years.

Despite the existence of other Arab and international institutions in Washington DC, however, QAIC is the only one of its kind that celebrates on behalf of Qatar and represents the Qatari community, in addition to being an emerging non-profit of public interest. After a short period of its inception, QAIC became one of the cultural landmarks and symbols in Washington DC with an increasing number of visitors each year.

Located at Dupont Circle area in Washington DC, QAIC offers a unique environment of inclusive interactive experiences to pay tribute to art and culture through artistic exhibitions, educational programs, scientific research, and cultural partnerships in recognition of experience and reaction as a good way for learning and realization.

It remained a pivotal center for the convergence of a host of artists, museums' experts, storytellers, innovators, scientists, and academics to be further interconnected with a global network that extends from Washington DC to all regions across the United States and worldwide. For three years, the QAIC managed to create a community of over 15,000 individuals who believe in their mission and enjoy their events.

QAIC was established under Qatari-US mission and leadership with the support of the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington DC to be an independent organization that carries Qatar's name and vision and is meant for cultural and educational exchange, building the communities between Qatar and the United States until it became one of the most important Arab artistic and cultural hostels in Washington DC by virtue of carrying out an evident role in highlighting hospitality and culture in Qatar and neighboring countries.

CEO of QAIC Fatima Al Dosari highlighted the prominent objectives of QAIC which include promoting dialogue, as well as raising US community's awareness and understanding of Qatar as nation, people, and culture, considering the Qatari identity with its Arab and Islamic facets as a point of commonality with Arab and Islamic communities in the US. She hoped that QAIC's echoes would extend to future generations and become one of the most important Arab landmarks in the US soon.

She asserted that QAIC has substantially contributed to increasing the US community's turnout and interest in Arab and Islamic culture through creating an affirmative hospitality atmosphere to build dialogue, ask questions, as well as engage in the experience through focusing on the points of commonality among a variety of cultures that would alter stereotypes about Arab and Islamic worlds.

Al Dosari gave multiple examples of establishing an Arab film house in partnership with Doha Film Institute to screen movies that concern the State of Qatar and Middle East and host an artistic exhibition in collaboration with the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) that primarily focuses on human rights texts in the United Nations and their parallels in the Holy Qur'an and Prophet's Sunnah.

She added that Arabic language has been incorporated into the White House's platform among the recognized languages. The platform offers visitors to the White House the possibility of reading in Arabic language.

She pointed out that QAIC intends to cooperate with numerous cultural institutions and museums which have been reached out to incorporate Arabic language into their official languages, outlining that QAIC has managed to draw thousands of visitors annually in a short time with simple resources, in addition to forging consolidated relationship with a variety of groups at public and private levels, as QAIC is conceived as a gateway to Arab and Islamic culture.

Al Dosari highlighted her deep belief in the fact that investment in human and cultural components will create a flexible, robust, and contemporary economy that focuses on innovative industries and safeguards heritage and history through innovation and technology, pointing out that QAIC offers artistic residence grants and opportunities for budding artists both in the US and Qatar to represent artists and enable them financially.

QAIC was able to draw multiple societal segments and partnered with Qatar Foundation (QF) to host an educational exhibition that focuses on Arabic language and its culture. It has toured multiple universities of limited economic income and ethnic diversity in the US which chiefly contributed to introducing Arab language and Qatar to a new audience who would have never had the opportunity to review a language or culture, she said.

Al Dosari affirmed the importance of cooperation with concerned entities inside Qatar and in the US civil society, highlighting cooperation as a core element for QAIC success through the support received from the Embassy of Qatar in Washington, along with a variety of Qatari entities such as Qatar Tourism and Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy which helped QAIC launch its programs and build visitors base during the three past years.

She stressed that QAIC was able to enrich joint programs through cooperation with numerous entities in Qatar and the US, such as Qatar Museums, Qatar Airways, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), Smithsonian Institution, QF, Doha Film Institute, Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, Al Markhiya Gallery, AlHosh Gallery and others.

CEO of QAIC Fatima Al Dosari pointed out that since QAIC is a non-profit institution, its echoes and value of societal impact are enduring, because it is still in the early stage of activities that require much time and effort to view concrete outcomes and impactful results.

She lauded all partners of QAIC for recognizing this institute, along with their active engagement in achieving its objectives, welcoming any new cooperation that contributes to QAIC's success story.

QAIC is a natural extension and heritage for the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture and epitomizes the national vision of the privileged and generous status of Qatar, as Qatar National Vision 2030 supports the social pillar in reacting and dealing with various international societies, especially the US society.

The institute is a first-of-its-kind avenue to build bridges between Qatar and the US through highlighting historical and societal points of commonality between the two peoples.

Source: Qatar News Agency