H.E. Shaikha Haya bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa has joined the Culture & Archaeology Authority as the new director of Culture & Arts as per Decision No (53) of 2015 issued by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa.
H.E. Shaikha Haya expressed her gratitude and appreciation to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for his confidence and support in appointing her, adding that she would undertake strenuous efforts towards enhancing and promoting the cultural scene. H.E. also said that Bahrain deserves to be the lighthouse of arts and culture, given its ancient deeply-rooted history, and that she will put all her skills and qualifications towards aiding Bahraini artists. The Culture & Arts director will do all she can to support and follow-up the successful progress and development already commenced by her successors and ensured Bahrain will always be present in cultural and artistic forums around the globe.
H.E. Shaikha Haya bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, earned during a Five-Year Combined Degree program between Tufts and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, in the USA. H.E. moved to Bahrain afterwards to teach arts before obtaining her MA in Fine Arts from a UK university.
Keen to develop her management skills and explore the museum administration, H.E. Haya was appointed between the years of 2008-2010 in many positions at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar, where she was nominated as the head of the Arts Education Department, and later, as the Museum Education Center director. Between 2011-2015, H.E. went through many posts and positions, such as Arts Center director and director of Creative Commons matḥaf al-fann al-islāmī, Doha, which provides support and studios for artists living there and helps them develop their artistic works.
In addition to her experience in arts and museums’ management, H.E Shaikha Haya bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa is a renowned refined creative artist who has participated in many exhibitions, such as the Bahrain Annual Arts Exhibition. Her art works were exhibited in many solo exhibitions in Bahrain and abroad as well.
http://culture.gov.bh/en/mediacenter/news/2015/September2015/Name,12428,en.html