The Sharjah Museums Authority, SMA, is organising the "Diversity in Times of Adversity" online exhibition to bring people together to appreciate the role of arts and creativity during a world crisis.

On the occasion of International Museum Day, IMD, 2020, celebrated by museums around the world on 18th May, under the theme "Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion", the SMA will mark the day by inviting talented youngsters to submit their artistic creations and become part of a unique digital exhibition.

Realising how fundamental the role of creativity, art and design is in uniting people and helping them find solace during critical times and how vulnerable creativity can be amid the sweeping lockdown as a result of COVID-19, the SMA decided to open its digital forms to the public to share moments of creativity and solidarity.

Amateur young artists aged between 16 and 25 are invited to submit inspiring artworks, musical pieces, poems, short films and videos corresponding to this year’s IMD theme and the global need for creativity during an international health crisis to the email address: SocialMedia@sma.gov.ae before 10th May.

A description either in English or Arabic of the submissions created specifically for the event needs to be filed, along with a 50-word explanation on how the work relates to this year’s IMD theme.

Selected contributions by a special committee from the SMA will be shared through this specially curated digital exhibition.

"During times of social distancing and museum closures, we continue to find ways to connect with the community virtually and engage them in our programmes as we always did when our doors were open," said Manal Ataya, Director-General of SMA.

"We have always been focused on providing our audiences with access to all the SMA’s museums and programmes, something that is at the heart of the IMD’s current theme, and during these difficult times, it is very important that we continue to do so via digital means," Ataya added.

International Museum Day has been celebrated by the International Council of Museums since 1977 on 18th May, with a different theme every year to highlight the issues facing museums.