Saudi Arabia launches a strategy to develop the museum sector
Last Sunday, the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s Museums Authority announced the launch of its strategy to develop the museum sector in the Kingdom, with all of its components, organizational and operational paths.
This came as part of ongoing efforts to support and empower practitioners and investors in it, to achieve the Ministry of Culture’s and “Saudi Vision 2030” cultural goals.
The strategy, according to Stefano Carboni, CEO of the authority, aims to bring tangible development to a vital sector, such as the museums’ sector, through a well-defined vision, mission, and goals, to develop the sector and its content and programs, as well as empowering and training sector employees, and creating an environment that develops Saudi museums as a destination.
The value chain was defined by the strategy’s main axes: the museum sector’s social and economic output, its contribution to the field of culture, the activities it will provide, and the enabling tools it will provide, which include talent development, funding, supportive partnerships, licenses, and regulations.
The commission’s approach addressed the critical role that museums play in social and economic development by proposing to add new and diverse categories to museums around the Kingdom.
The strategy also outlined the goals it would pursue, including the creation of national museums as inspiring locations and catalysts for citizens, residents, and tourists to participate in cultural and societal activities. It provides the Kingdom a high-quality cultural presence on the international stage.
By 2024, the strategy will have created a huge number of museums throughout the Kingdom, from Arar to Najran and from Abha to Dammam, in addition to numerous major and minor museums in the years to come.
The Tariq Abdul Hakim Museum in Jeddah and the Black Gold Museum in Riyadh were the first museums to open.
The Saudi Museum of Contemporary Art will be given a temporary home in Diriyah’s New Jax neighborhood until the grand museum opens in the coming years, while the opening of pioneering museums such as the Royal Society of Arts Museum, the Museum of Digital Arts, and the Prince Mohammed bin Salman International Center for Arabic Calligraphy is planned for the medium term.
