Abu Dhabi & Philly programs

Abu Dhabi and Philadelphia are pushing people back into galleries and studios with public art programs built around showing up in person. (manaratalsaadiyat.ae) In Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat’s Art Studio says it is running onsite workshops and art activities “this month” for adults, children and families, with bookings listed for April through June. The venue describes the studio as a hands-on space for classes, drop-in sessions, workshops and outreach programs. (manaratalsaadiyat.ae) A second Abu Dhabi program is running at Al Qattara Arts Centre from April 1 to April 30, 2026, with paid classes in oil painting, acrylic painting, drawing, calligraphy and wheel-thrown pottery. Adult fees listed on the Department of Culture and Tourism page range from 350 United Arab Emirates dirhams for oil painting and pottery to 800 dirhams for piano. (abudhabiculture.ae) The Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi is also advertising workshops and classes in sketching, oil and watercolor painting, mixed media, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, fashion design, silk and glass painting, and jewelry for teens and adults. That places painting and sculpture inside a wider year-round education program rather than a one-off event. (culturalfoundation.ae) In Philadelphia, the 2026 guide circulating this month comes from Art-Collecting.com, which describes its Philadelphia page as a city art guide covering galleries, museums, artists and recommended exhibitions. The guide says monthly First Friday evenings keep galleries and shops open late across the city. (art-collecting.com) The Philadelphia Museum of Art has separately released its 2026 exhibition calendar, including Noah Davis from January 24 to April 26, 2026, and A Nation of Artists from April 12, 2026, to July 5, 2027. The museum said A Nation of Artists will unite works from the museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Middleton Family Collection. (press.philamuseum.org) Philadelphia’s 2026 art push is tied to the United States Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the country in 2026. Discover Philadelphia said in June 2025 that the city was planning major installations and exhibitions for that anniversary, including more than 1,000 works in A Nation of Artists across two venues. (discoverphl.com) The common thread is not digital access but physical attendance: Abu Dhabi is selling seats in workshops with set times and fees, while Philadelphia is packaging a full-year map of places to visit. Both approaches put cultural programming back on calendars, in buildings and in front of live audiences. (abudhabiculture.ae) (art-collecting.com)